The Road To Recovery
by Twigs-N-Leaves
Summary: SasuSaku eventually - 12 Fail-safe ways to Forget about a Certain Stubborn, Black-Haired, Hormone-less Sharingan wielding Jerk And Get on With your Life because It Is Too Short To Spend All Your Precious Time Chasing After Sasuke Uchiha.
1. Prologue

**A/N: HEY ALL!!! Okay so I know I haven't exactly been uploading very much lately, but that's only because I'm so busy. I've tried to set aside time to plop my butt down and write, or even just _brainstorm_. But everytime I try to my thought just get all cluttered with the stress in my real life. Ugh (Stupid reality! *shakes fist*) **

**Anyways. If you guys read on my profile, you'll know that I've started writing a chaptered fic and even though it has hardly even been started really I've decided to upload the prologue for everyone to read. PLEASE REVIEW! the only reason I'm uploading this is to see if anyone even wants to read it. Think of it as a tester. This chappy is short, because again, it's only the prologue. So review and let me know if you guys want to read it! :D Honestly, if you knew how excited I get whenever I open my hotmail account and see that someone has reviewed....you'd probably laugh at me XD Seriously. So read and let me know :)**

_Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto, do you think I'd have the word "Disclaimer" anywhere remotely NEAR my fic? Definitely not. But still. The amazing universe that is Naruto doesn't belong to me in the slightest. Kishimoto is the genius! :D_

The Road to Recovery

"That jerky little—ARGH! "

Sakura barged into her apartment and into her bedroom being sure to slam the door in the process. She was beyond angry, beyond _furious_. She was literally an_ inch_ away from taking a flamethrower and shoving it down a certain black-haired ninja's throat before turning it on.

He was just too pig-headed for his own good.

Today she had asked him to grab a bowl of Ichiraku's ramen with her, before she had to go to work at the hospital for hours on end, hoping that maybe just this once he'd accept. It's not like she was asking for his hand in marriage. She just wanted a bit of company from the guy (whom she cared deeply about) for a few minutes.

That's all she had asked for.

And _what _did she get in return?

She laughed bitterly.

_Nothing. _Absolutely nothing. He didn't even acknowledge her presence. He simply kept walking past her. Even when she called his name and chased after him to see if he had heard her, he simply walked faster and pretended she didn't even exist. What was she? Some piece of garbage to him?

Growling, Sakura made her way across the room to her desk and took out a piece of paper.

'_This is getting ridiculous. It's time I stopped loving him. ' _Sakura thought to herself.

She began furiously writing down a list that would help her get over the Uchiha once and for all.

Thus began Sakura Haruno's road to recovery. What was her disease?

Sasuke Uchiha.

***

_12 Fail-safe ways to Forget about a Certain Stubborn, Black-Haired, Hormone-less Sharingan wielding Jerk And Get on With your Life because It Is Too Short To Spend All Your Precious Time Chasing After Sasuke Uchiha_

_By: Sakura Haruno _

_1. Never....I repeat NEVER allow yourself to get lost in his (stunning, gorgeous, beautiful) eyes!__ Just don't do it. You may casually glance into them once in a while to avoid suspicion, but if you feel yourself starting to lose all sense of time while looking, slap yourself and look away! If needed Avoid ALL eye contact with him, however this method may arouse unwanted attention. _

_2. Stop Asking Him out! __Resist all urges to ask him out to eat ramen or to train with you. The more time you spend with him, the harder it will be to accept the fact that you will never be together. Or...well that WOULD be true, if he ever accepted your offers. Still constantly asking him out gives him the satisfaction of having your attention AND gives him the opportunity to hurt you when he declines._

_3. Don't offer him compliments!! __Informing him of all of his good qualities just helps him inflate his already Bigger-Than-Life ego. If he happens to do something wildly impressive in your presence, ignore it. If THAT proves to be impossible, compliment him in your head or go home and express your adoration onto a piece of paper. Then...rip the paper to shreds and burn it. _

_4. Do not ogle his body and/or features while at training or on a mission. __This will be a crucial step in your road to recovery, considering the fact that the Uchiha has one of the most beautiful bodies in the history of...well....everything. If you manage to complete this step, it will only be a matter of time before you forget the bastard totally. If you begin to stare, just tell yourself to imagine him naked...WAIT NO!! DON'T DO THAT! IN ABSOLUTELY NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD YOU DO THAT! Instead...imagine him...wearing...a...a... bunny suit. _

_5. Always try to dress your best and look utterly...well...for lack of a better word, hot. __If you look good, feel good and take pride in the fact that you are one unique and smoking hot pink haired beauty, everyone will take notice of your newfound confidence. This includes men. Yes...In your obsession with Sasuke, you have forgotten about the other eligible men of Konoha. So always remember to spend a bit of time each day and put in that extra effort. Soon you'll feel so empowered that Sasuke Uchiha won't even cross your mind. _

_6. Cut out the –Kun!__! From now on you will refer to the man in question as Sasuke. NOT Sasuke-kun. The elimination of this suffix will not only let him know that you are no longer dying for his affections, but also you'll be subconsciously telling your heart to accept the fact that you don't want to be with him anymore. If you occasionally let a small "Sasuke-kun" slip out, quickly correct yourself. There's no room to be weak. Clear your throat loudly and proudly say "Sorry...Sasuke." _

_7. During sparring sessions, never let him beat you.__ This may seem difficult considering the fact that he is without a doubt one of the strongest ninja's in the village. But I do not necessarily mean beating you as in defeating you in the battlefield. After every match, his comments of you being "annoying" and "weak" constantly get you down. No more! Instead, leave him no excuse to call you weak. Go at him with everything you've got. And his remarks of your annoyance will not beat you down! If he calls you such, simply brush it off and walk away. There is no reason for you to take his comments to heart anymore. You. Are. Getting. Over. Him. _

_8. Replace Each of his "Hn's" with something else in your mind.__ It can be pretty infuriating when you pour out your heart and soul to this man, and all you get in return is a lousy grunt. Therefore, whenever he deems it fit to reward the conversation with a "Hn" take it upon yourself to (in your mind, for you do not want to seem like a lunatic) replace the grunt with something else. For example: Hn= I'm a pretty girl. Or Hn = I enjoy dancing in my green jumpsuit that I received from Lee and Gai last Christmas, etcetera._

_9. Feel free to flirt or date whenever you want to.__ If a young man asks you on date or shamelessly flirts with you, feel free to return the favour. Before, when you were in love with Sasuke, you would consider this unfaithful and unnecessary. But now that you have made the choice to let go of your infatuation, it is still unnecessary but the fact is that you are now free to enter the great, big world of dating. (I heard Kiba's available). This also demonstrates to the Uchiha that you are over him._

_10. If the man ever insults you, shun him.__ Why on earth should you sit down and take it? You are a strong woman and he has no right to put you down! If he does, counter it with an equally scathing remark and then proceed to give him the cold shoulder. It's high time for him to stop assuming that, just because you WERE in love him, he has the right to insult you as much as he wants, without suffering the consequences! _

_11. Take it upon yourself to help set up the Uchiha with another deserving woman. __God knows he has a boundless amount of fan girls around the village. Make it your goal to set him up with one. By doing this, you are teaching yourself to grow accustomed to the fact that he will be free to date another girl. You have moved on. You don't care WHO he goes out with. It also shows him that he needs to get a move on the whole "rebuilding his clan" endeavour, because, you being a prime example, his fan girls won't be there forever. _

_12. Burn this list and continue the steps over and over again. __You have learned all you can from this piece of paper. It is time you put it aside and continue on your own. You must be able to keep your head high and go out there without any list to fall back on. YOU ARE SAKURA HARUNO AND YOU DO NOT LOVE SASUKE UCHIHA ANY LONGER! _

_Congratulations! If you managed to complete each and every one of these 12 steps, You have successfully gotten over the cold hearted bastard! Enjoy your new life of freedom and independence! (If you have not completed these steps and failed miserably...then...You are basically doomed to live a life of spinsterhood. Have a good day!) _

***

To Be Continued

**A/N: Sooooooooo? Anyone interested in hearing how the story plays out? Right now I have only completed this and the first real chapter. I'm working on the second tonight. You will not guess what's happened to me. My Word program has stopped working! *gasp* *el-fainto* I know! I was so upset. I've temporarily downloaded Open-Office so I'll be working like a maniac tonight. Also, like I said, don't expect updates very soon. I really just need to find the time to devote to this. XD**

**Nevertheless! Please review for me!! I need to know if it's worth reading! **

**Kay. Fun fact about me: Whenever I'm super excited, I do this thing where I squeeze my face REALLY hard by pressing my palm against my nose and mouth (strange, I know. My friends never let me forget it either...) so just know that whenever you take three _seconds_ to review (that's like the equivilant of _blinking_ three times XD Blinking's not hard to do is it? You're probably doing it right now as you read this!), I'm squeezing my face like CRAZY XD XD XD Thanks for Reading!!!! Even if you don't review, I still love everyone who reads! 3**


	2. The First Step

**A/N: Ooo! First real chapter! Exciting!! So here it is!! Hope you guys like it! I'm writing like crazy and my fingers are flying a mile a minute so hopefully you'll be reading this little author's blurb as soon as possible! I doubt I need to mention it again, but reviews are my life! I write my stories because I love to write, but also because I like giving you guys something good to read. I know _my_ day can be made by a good fanfiction, or an update in one of my favourite stories. So I'm always hoping that you folks like what you read. Reviews are kind of like you guys telling me whether it's working, or if it's just a waste of time. Enjoy!! **

_Disclaimer: Naruto and all it's glory is what I **wish** I owned but due to the fact that I don't have enough talent to even fathom creating it...I don't and never will. _

The Road to Recovery

_Never....I repeat NEVER allow yourself to get lost in his (stunning, gorgeous, beautiful) eyes!__Just don't do it. You may casually glance into them once in a while to avoid suspicion, but if you feel yourself starting to lose all sense of time while looking, slap yourself and look away! If needed Avoid ALL eye contact with him, however this method may arouse unwanted attention._

***

Sakura woke up the next day and prepared herself for the day ahead. She prepped herself to commence her goal of forgetting the jerk that had torn her apart countless times before. She pulled her classic outfit on and lost herself in thought.

'_Che... Why do I even care?! He left our village and joined one of our worst enemies, he has insulted and hurt me more times than I can count...He's never even shown me one ounce of kindness since he returned home. It's about time I got over him.'_

She read the first step on her list over and over again; just to be sure she wouldn't forget exactly what it said. It wouldn't do to have to excuse herself from their training session just to double check what the list said.

"Don't stare into his eyes. Don't stare into his eyes. Don't...stare into his....eyes" She repeated to herself under her breath before sighing. Even just thinking about his coal black eyes made her lose her concentration. This was going to take all of her strength not to give in. But she was angry and she knew that if she put her mind to it, she could avoid his eyes easily. She quickly folded up the paper and stuck it into her Kunai pouch, not wanting to lose it, nor did she want to drop it and have to face her teammates after they discovered it. Sakura shuddered, imagining the infuriating smirk on one face, the uncontrollable fits of laughter on another's _and _the knowing and perverted smiles of the other one.

Getting over Sasuke was hard enough on it's own.

***

She slowly made her way to the bridge where team seven had always met before training thinking hard about ways she could put her plan into motion. She never noticed the ever approaching Uchiha, which she was trying so desperately to avoid.

"Ooph! Che...Crap." She muttered as she bumped into, what she thought, was a very hard wall. She was so preoccupied focusing on what she was working on; she didn't even notice that she was walking straight towards a building. She rubbed her forehead murmuring quiet curses. What a great way to start her personal quest to show the Uchiha what was what....with a huge red splotch in the middle of her forehead. Very classy.

Opening her eyes, she found herself staring at a very muscular chest. She blinked as the crest of the Uchiha clan stared back at her.

'_Crap. Crap. Crap. Crap! ' _She thought frantically.

Reluctantly she slowly made herself look upwards. She was expecting to see either a _very_ irritated expression on his face or an impossibly infuriating smirk on his _impossibly_ beautiful features.

Apparently he found her distracted appearance and now sore forehead amusing, for the smirk presided.

Sakura almost growled but she soon found herself staring into his eyes. Again. Just like every other time she happened to be in close proximity of the former-avenger.

'_Look away Sakura! Look away!'_ Her inner screamed while waving dozens of red flags. Sakura broke out of her trance and averted her gaze quickly.

"Sorry Sasuke-kun ..." she mumbled, before quickly side stepping the man in her path and continuing to the bridge, leaving the man in her wake. He paused for a moment thrown off by her hasty retreat. Intrigued, Sasuke began walking behind her.

'_Jeez! That was close! You looked into his eyes for a full...' _Sakura paused and calculated in her head, _'THREE SECONDS! Fool!'_

She was filled with a new determination not to give in due to her moment of weakness. She marched in the direction of the team seven bridge quickly, a new spring in her step.

As the two, Sakura slightly ahead of Sasuke, made it to the bridge, Sakura finally breathed a sigh of relief. Naruto would be there and she would be free to talk with him, and casually avoid getting close to her other stoic teammate. Thus the problem of looking into his eyes was solved.

'_Haruno, you're a genius.'_ She smiled smugly to herself.

"SAKURA-CHAN!!! SASUKE-TEME!"

Sakura smirked. Oh yes. Her plan would definitely work.

And it did....until Kakashi arrived.

With a poof of white smoke, their sensei had appeared with a distinct "Yo."

After the yells of "YOU'RE LATE!" and the pathetic excuses had died down, Kakashi looked at his team and told them exactly what they would be doing at training.

"We'll be sparring today. Since Sai is on a mission, I'll train with Naruto-"

"HAI! You're going down Sensei!" Naruto yelled.

"Former sensei..." Kakashi interjected weakly. It had been years since he could tecnically have been called their sensei. They were each their own individuals and perfectly capable of taking care of themselves. Kakashi was just their teammate and, though it was bizarre to admit it, equal in skill now. In fact the boys had most likely surpassed him now.

Sakura gulped. She knew what was coming. Two down...Two left. Simple math skills made it evident who she'd be fighting.

"That leaves Sasuke and Sakura." Kakashi continued, taking noticed of her panicked and agitated state. "Sakura, as a medic nin you need to be well prepared to evade all forms of jutsus-"

"Kakashi-sensei-" Sakura began

"_Former _sensei" Kakashi said, exasperated.

"I am! I'm a jounin! I deal with "all forms of jutsus" _all_ the time!" Sakura attempted to convince the man to let her train with him or Naruto.

"I know, but it never hurts to keep up your training. Besides, when was the last time you sparred against Sasuke? Hmm? You've been busy at the hospital and training hasn't exactly been your number one priority. Now spar you two."

Sakura was a little more than a bit nervous. She'd be sparring against Sasuke. Sharingan user. Who relies on his _eyes_ in battle. And she relied on close combat. She'd be in a distance of maybe a few feet to a few inches of his face, which unfortunately included his eyes.

'_**Crap.' **_This was just peachy.

She turned to face him and prepared herself. He wasn't exactly an easy opponent and she mentally chastised herself for focusing on something as trivial as _getting lost in his eyes_, instead of the best technique to fight him with.

She was thrust into reality when she noticed the Uchiha's fighting stance. She felt his surge of chakra and swallowed. This really was _not_ what she wanted to be doing.

'_Well I'm not going to wait for him to come at me'_ She sighed, giving in. She gathered her chakra into her hand and ran at the opposing ninja . She pulled back her arm ready to deliver a forceful blow the his face.

Sasuke disappeared almost immediately and appeared behind her. Sakura spun around and attempted to land a round house kick to his chest. He however grabbed her leg and bent it away from him while pinning a kunai at her neck. She could feel the blade press into her skin lightly.

Sakura bent her body backwards away from the weapon, using her other leg to propel her around. Her foot almost connected with the side of his face, however the Uchiha had suspected her action and dodged the kick. This, fortunately, gave Sakura the opportunity to escape his grasp. She threw a few punches his way, realizing that this tactic was completely useless against his Sharingan.

She turned around and almost immediately disappeared into the trees surrounding the training field. Sasuke unsheathed his katana and awaited her next move. The young man was soon forced to dodge several Senbon and kunai aimed at him. A few grazed his arms, but he hardly noticed. He anticipated her following attack, spinning around and slicing through a clone of Sakura without even blinking. The next moment he did it again, thwarting her attempts at attacking him with mere copies.

Sakura knew that he would see them coming, but she needed to buy herself the time to find a useful strategy. In her pensive state, she neglected to notice the Uchiha making his way towards her. That is until she was once again locked in close combat with him. Startled that she had failed to pay attention, she began her usual set of techniques. He managed to land a few measurable blows to her body within the span that they were fighting. She knew she'd be healing many injuries after this spar.

The pink haired kunoichi broke herself away from him and aimed a chakra enhanced punch at the ground. Shattered rocks and earth flew into the air. Through the dust she was unable to see whether he had been affected. Panting, she squinted her eyes and attempted to sense the trace of his chakra. All of a sudden she flew to the side, narrowly missing the storm of flames that engulfed the patch of earth where she'd just been standing. Though she had managed to dodge the majority of the twisting flames, her left arm was caught. The Kunoichi cried out as she felt the terrible burning sensation fill her limb. The skin was raw and a shocking red. Blisters would begin to form soon.

She was caught off guard, when she felt his breath behind her ear and his arms holding onto her. She hissed as he grasped her newly burned arm tightly.

She pretended to struggle against his grasp while thinking of another attack to free herself. She felt him tighten his hold on her and held a smug smile away from her features. He expected her to push forwards, bracing himself to hold her back. Fast as lightning she thrust her right elbow _behind_ her frame towards his ribs. She almost felt guilty when she heard a horrendous cracking sound.

Sakura quickly sprang forwards onto her hands, kicking her feet behind her. She winced as she landed on her hands and sent a fresh wave of searing pain up her arm. However she still smirked when she felt it make contact with the man's chin. However when she landed on her feet she felt the sickening feeling of his Katana against her throat while his other hand grasped her wrist behind her. This time she really was struggling. His hold on her wrists was extremely painful and she half expected him to break one of them in payment for the rib she had most likely broken.

The blade pressed into her throat drawing blood. She winced in pain all the while feeling her blood run down her slender neck. Sasuke twisted her arms and she cried out this time. She could vaguely feel a few cuts on her body, but it was nothing to the pain inflicted upon her now. The combination of the effects of his Katon and the crushing hold on her arm was indescribable.

"Easy." She heard him say. He was implying that she was weak again. She no longer felt the previous remorse for severely injuring him. She almost didn't care if he broke her wrists. Being the medic nin she was she could _easily_ heal them, and leave him limping home or to the hospital with an aching jaw and shattered rib.

She snarled at his comment and whipped around when he loosened his hold on her. As soon as she did so, she knew she'd made a terrible mistake. The scathing words died on her lips as she felt herself falling into his eyes. She stood there staring into his bottomless eyes losing all train of thought.

She remembered her project, all of a sudden and slowly lifted her hand. Sasuke expected her to slap him for his earlier remark and prepared himself to catch her small hand. Therefore when he heard the hand make contact, but felt no pain he was rather shocked. Sakura had slapped herself and was now stomping away from him.

'_Close, __**close **__call Haruno. You deserved that! Don't stare into his eyes!' _

_***_

Later that night the team had decided to eat out at Ichiraku's together. When Sakura walked up to the counter she was greeted by an extremely cheerful Naruto, as he always was while shovelling ramen into his mouth.

"Sakura-chan! You really did a number on Teme's face didn't you?" Naruto laughed while jabbing Sasuke's shoulder.

Sakura looked over at the stoic ninja and could see the bruise that installed itself on Sasuke's face. She felt a twinge of guilt. She'd injured him and had stormed off without even bothering to heal him.

"Sasuke-kun, I'm sorry for kicking you so hard. I didn't realize that it had been so bad. Let me heal it for you..."

She reached out for him, instilling healing chakra into her palms. She let her hand glide slowly over the mark, pumping her chakra out to heal it. After a few moments the bruise had completely disappeared.

"Sasuke-kun, did you get your ribs checked out after training today?"

Sasuke looked away from her. "Hn."

"Jeez. You really are an idiot! They could be really messed up now. Lift your shirt Sasuke-kun."

"They're fine." He muttered while turning back to his ramen.

"I highly doubt that that, now lift your shirt and let me see."

He reluctantly lifted up his shirt and showed her the damage. This rellly wasn't the time or the place to be doing this. Sakura tried to ignore the squeals that had erupted around Ichiraku's from his several fangirls, who just _happened _to be passing by when the Uchiha was lifting his shirt. Sakura once again gathered her chakra into her palm and focused on mending the bone. She had, as she had expected, broken his rib, but the stubborn and obviously stupid Uchiha had simply tried to ignore it. She furrowed her brow and kept working

"You're weak Sakura." Her head snapped up at this and she narrowed her eyes.

"Excuse me? What brought this on?" She asked slowly, trying to calm down. She really didn't want to create a scene today.

He turned towards her slowly.

"You shouldn't be healing me. It's a weakness" He stated simply, as though any idiot would know.

"What the hell Sasuke! Don't forget who gave you that bruise in the first place! Not to mention the ribs I'm currently healing! Where do you get off telling me I'm weak when I'm just trying to help you?!"

"Don't bother. I don't _need_ you. "

"Are you angry or something because of this? Why are you acting like an even bigger bastard than normal! Do you want another broken bone Uchiha? It was just a spar! I didn't mean to hurt you. _You're _the one who insulted me!" She was screaming now. Screw "creating a scene." She was angry as hell.

Sasuke shrugged as he stood up and was about to walk off when Sakura stormed after him and grabbed his arm. She yanked him around to face her. This time when she raised her hand, she didn't slap her own face. The ferocity behind her blow shocked even her. If the pain she felt in her own hand was any indication, Sasuke's face must have hurt like _hell. _

_'Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit!! Owwww-hoooow!'_ Inner Sakura howled. Her inner's hair bristled in pain and she cradled her injured fingers against her chest. _'Bony faced Bastard!' Screw him and his perfect bone structure!'_

Sakura gently and discreetly shook the hand at her side. All of the muscles in her face were working overtime to conceal the pained expression she was craving to let out. But the pain in her hand couldn't compare to the pain she was feeling inside. He honestly thought she was a weakling. Just like in their Genin days. He never even once acknowledged her growth or her strength even once. Her improvements were nothing to him. She was _worthless._

The look he gave her was one of complete indifference, as though he didn't care at all that she was hurt by his words. His eyes held no emotion as he wrenched his arm out of her grasp.

And for the first time in her life, Sakura didn't have any trouble looking away from him. She didn't fall helplessly into his gaze. She didn't feel any hopeless butterflies in her stomach just from looking into his eyes. She just felt an extreme feeling of disgust while staring at him. She turned her back and walked away. As she made her way through the dark Konoha streets to her home, she thought to herself that from now on, she wouldn't have any trouble averting her eyes again. She hated his eyes sometimes. And _this _was one of them.

'_Step one: complete.'_

_*** _

To Be Continued

**A/N: Finished chapter 1!!! *dances* It's a pretty big moment. The first chappy, of my first chaptered fic, featuring my first fight scene too! *giggle* Please don't tear me apart if you didn't like the fight. It was just a spar, so it wasn't meant to be CRAZY intense. If you guys could watch my thoughts like a T.V show, you'd see that the real fights I imagine are a bit cooler than that. (or you'd just think I was a nutcase XD XD XD) Especially to songs. Savior by Rise Against is a song that just makes my brain fill with a vision of this amazing fight between the two of them. I might write it out, but fights are NOT my strong points XD Listen to the song and you'll probably get visions too. It's a really fitting song for them ^^**

**Wow....I need to stop rambling! I really hope you liked it and can't wait to post the other chapters! PLEASE REVIEW!! I'm honestly REALLY looking forward to hearing what you think! **

**JA! **


	3. Never Ask Him Out!

**A/N: Chap-tah two! Yay! Hope you like this story so far!! It's about to get a bit more dramatic so be prepared. Not totally over the top drama, but not light-hearted rambling either! Please review! I'd LOVE to hear from you guys! Hope you enjoy the next installment. By the way, I'm sorry if there are any mistakes, but like I said, my Word isn't working and neither is the spellchecker. I went through it a few times trying to find them all, but if there are still a few more...Sorry ^-^;**

_Disclaimer: *Puts on an "I don't own Naruto T-Shirt* See? I don't own it and never will! _

The Road to Recovery

_Stop Asking Him out! __Resist all urges to ask him out to eat ramen or to train with you. The more time you spend with him, the harder it will be to accept the fact that you will never be together. Or...well that WOULD be true, if he ever accepted your offers. Still constantly asking him out gives him the satisfaction of having your attention AND gives him the opportunity to hurt you when he declines._

***

When Sakura awoke the next day, memories of the previous night flew back to her. She groaned. Why was she so affected by his comment? He called her annoying and weak almost every chance he got and she should have been used to it by now. But yesterday had just awoken something inside her and she couldn't help herself.

'_I should probably apologize. It's not like he deserves one, but considering the fact that he is my teammate, it couldn't hurt to be civil.' _

She growled just the same. She knew he wouldn't apologize. He wouldn't even care but she still didn't want awkwardness between them and the rest of the team.

After she had gotten ready she made her way to the Team seven bridge slowly. She honestly was dreading today. She abruptly remembered her list and looked around for a bench to sit down.

'_I don't even know today's step!'_ she mentally fretted.

Sitting down, she pulled out the slip of paper and read over the rule over and over again. As she read the line of her own scribbled writing, she swallowed loudly.

_'Stop asking him out?! Why did I even put that on the list?! Asking him out to ramen or to my house for dinner just became a habit. I'm just supposed to stop now?'_ Sakura furrowed her brow, deep in concentration as she reread the second step.

_'Then again, he did just call me a weakling yesterday. And why? Just because I was trying to heal him of the very injuries I gave him. Bastard. Weak my **ass.**' _

She scowled, memories of her anger returning to her.

Still. Not asking the Uchiha out was probably going to be extremely hard considering the fact that she'd liked him since she was five and loved him since she was twelve. Not to mention, he was utterly the most gorgeous, talented and damn sexy man in Konoha.

_'Did I honestly just think that?! I'm supposed to be getting over him, and yet here I am singing his praises in my own head!' _Sakura screeched in her head. So much for being mad at him.

"I really need to stop doing that." She sighed to herself. She sat back in the bench and tilted her head backwards, facing the sky. She closed her eyes and exhaled a large breath. The stress of monitoring her every move around the man was turning into a huge weight already. Hopefully it would get better as she progressed with her list.

"Stop doing what?" A deep voice questioned. Sakura jumped and bolted upright. Her breathing raced as she turned to glare at the person who was insensitive enough to scare the hell out her when she was obviously thinking. Looking up she realized it was none other than the stuck up jerk she was trying to forget about. Huh, no wonder she thought the intruder was insensitive. It was Sasuke afterall. Mr. Colder-Than-A- Block-Of-Ice himself.

"Thinking out loud, for one thing." She muttered ruefully under her breath. Sasuke quirked an eyebrow and stared down his nose at her. She could tell he was silently debating her sanity in his mind.

"Don't give me that look Sasuke-kun. You were one who snuck up on me!" She told him forcefully before picking herself up off the bench and standing in front of him.

Sakura angled her head upwards so that she could look at his face. She narrowed her eyes at the way he smirked, silently mocking her short height.

"Listen." She gave in with a deep breath, " I'm sorry about losing my temper and slapping you last night. I really didn't intend to create a scene. But even if I'm sorry about the whole 'you hitting your face on my hand'," Sasuke scoffed at this. "It doesn't mean I forgive you for the lousy things you said." She continued.

"I'm _not_ weak Sasuke. So don't you _dare_ tell me otherwise."

Sakura jabbed his chest with her finger as she spoke, emphasizing her point and letting him know that she wasn't just going to back down. She debated whether or not to strengthen her finger with chakra and break his collar bone, but she knew in the back of her mind that that probably wouldn't help their team dynamics very much.

_'Too bad though.'_

Sasuke looked away from her haughtily. If she was trying to make him feel guilty or make him apologize to her; it wasn't going to happen. He felt no remorse for what he said. Why should he feel bad for telling the truth?

Sakura growled, but after a few seconds of inhaling deeply, she carried on.

"So to make sure things aren't awkward, I was thinking we could-"

_'Whoa! Whoa whoa whoa!"_ Inner Sakura shouted, waving her arms frantically. _'Don't you dare ask him out Haruno. Remember the steps!' _

Sakura must have been silent for a few seconds because she finally noticed the Uchiha's expectant look. She finally remembered what she'd been in the middle of asking him.

"I was thinking we could...just forget about it okay?" Sakura suggested. For once she was glad for her inner's constant presence in her head. No matter how annoying she could be, Inner Sakura certainly saved her from herself more times than she could count.

"Hn." Sasuke was silently surprised. No invitation to ramen? No pleading to come over for a team seven meal? No annoying cries for him to train with her? How strange. He turned around and, without bothering to waiting for her, started on his way toward team seven's meeting place once again. Sakura rolled her eyes and followed him.

_'Typical.'_

***

"Sakura-chaaaan! You're here! I was worried you wouldn't show after what happened last night!"

Sakura smiled softly at her teammate's concern for her. Despite the fact that it was she who'd blown and gasket and slapped Sasuke with all the force she could muster (without permanently destroying his bone structure with her chakra), Naruto was still worried about how _she_ was feeling.

When she reached him, he enveloped her in a bone crushing bear hug, as was his custom. But instead of pushing him away in exasperation she just hugged him back. She couldn't describe the wonderful feeling of having a friend like him to comfort her when the other member of her team tore her down.

_'Good old Naruto.' _

"Sakura-chan! I hope you seriously knocked some sense into Teme's head with that slap! Don't worry though! If you didn't, I'll take care of it during training today! Dattebayo!" He shouted.

"Dobe." Sasuke grumbled while glaring over the side of the railing of the bridge. If looks could kill, all the water in the river would have evaporated by now.

"No worries Naruto. I trust you will." She replied, laughing. The look Sasuke threw her way only increased her giggles.

Kakashi arrived, late as usual, in his signature puff of smoke and announced that their training today would also consist of sparring with each other. Just before the team was about to begin their traditional training rituals, they were interupted by an Anbu who had appeared in between them.

"Haruno-san. You have been requested to head over to the hospital immediately by the Hokage herself. Apparently there is an emergency and they need all the medical staff possible. I was sent to come get you."

Sakura's previous mirth dissipated quickly. Looks like she could count on spending the entire day at the hospital instead of training. "Hai, I'll be right there." With a curt nod the nin disappeared.

"Well boys, it looks like you'll be training by yourselves today. Maybe I'll- "

Again her vision was filled with images for Inner Sakura shooting flares and waving warning signs through the air. _'Sakura! NO!'_

The pink-haired girl shook her head. These thoughts were getting stranger and stranger.

"Maybe I'll...see you tomorrow morning for training. I have to go." She covered quickly. She contemplated what she was really going to ask them.

_'Maybe I'll see you tonight at Ichiraku's for a quick bowl of ramen or something.' _Even though it was just a simple and innocent invitation for dinner, it still gave Sasuke the option of rejecting it. She wasn't going to take it.

She pushed those thoughts out of her head and sprinted in the direction of Konoha's hospital. If it really was an emergency, she really shouldn't be wasting time for her silly, personal 'mission'.

***

"Sakura! Finally!" Tsunade exclaimed. The hospital was absolute pandemonium. Nurses were running rapidly down the white hallways and into examinations rooms. Sakura arrived quickly and immediately changed out of her training clothes and into her scrubs and coat. She could tell that there was no time whatsoever to dawdle.

"Shishou! What's happened?! What's going on?"

Tsunade motioned for Sakura to follow her as she walked briskly down the hall. Sakura had to run every few steps just to keep up with her master's pace.

"Three weeks ago I sent three separate teams of Anbu and Jounin on reconnaissance missions. Lately Konoha has heard news of some unknown organization affecting surrounding villages outside the Fire Country. To ensure Konoha's best interests, these teams were sent in an attempt to gather information on this group and what they're plans and movement patterns were." Tsunade continued through halls of the building, checking in with nurses and other healers as she went. Sakura could tell that they were headed towards the operating room. She dreaded what she would be facing inside the double doors.

"The missions weren't considered to be especially dangerous and all three teams were intended to return after only two weeks. They were already a week late and I sent out another team to search the area. We received an alert last night that they had located all three teams." Tsunade exhaled and Sakura could tell that this must have been hard for her handle. Nevertheless, she couldn't deny that it was slightly shocking to see her teacher's reaction to the situation.

"They arrived today and all of their injuries are...Sakura, they are horrific. We need all the healers available due to the number of patients alone. The lives of all these shinobi are hanging by a _thread_."

Sakura gasped as they pushed entered the operating room. She looked onto the table and tightly closed her eyes. How could this happen? She was no stranger to injuries and had seen her fair share, but knowing that there were over nine, _nine _patients that looked like this, she didn't know whether to gag from the sheer dreadfulness or cry.

She pulled on her gloves and entered the operating room, prepared to do anything she could to save her fellow ninjas.

***

Several hours later, Sakura exited the hospital. She had only an hour before she needed to return. Originally she hadn't wanted to leave, knowing that there was still so much to do. But with her Chakra reserves straining and her emotional instability, Tsunade had told her to take a short break and come back fully prepared to do her job.

Sakura walked slowly from the doors of the hospital, almost in a daze. She could feel tears welling in her eyes. She had lost _two_ patients. Two innocent shinobi, who's lives were placed in her hands, had died. She held the tears back. There would be a time for mourning later, but right now she needed to focus on getting her head together so that she could go back and save the others.

As she trudged lightly through the dark, empty streets, lost in her thought she looked ahead and saw her stoic teammate approaching her. Though Sasuke could be rude and impossibly cruel she knew she loved him. And though she was happy everytime she saw him, she thought to herself that she had never been happier to see a comforting face.

"Sakura." He stated in greeting, looking over her tired and sweaty form.

"Sasuke." She meekly replied. She fought hard to keep the tears behind her eyes. She didn't want to appear weak in front of him again.

He began to walk past her when she gently grasped his arm and looked into his eyes.

"Could you...Could you please stay with me for a...for a while? Please? Just sit with me for a little while Sasuke." She begged him quietly. She forgot completely about her trivial list and just asked him. She needed just a little bit of support. She had lost _two_ patients today and all she needed was for someone to let her know it was going to work out; that it was going to be alright. Though Sasuke could never actually _tell_ her those words, his presence would be more reassuring than he would ever know.

Sasuke searched her eyes for a moment. Sakura didn't know it at the moment, but he had to the fight the urge to pull her into his arms and comfort her, even for just a second's time. He _wanted_ to be able to lower his walls and let her in to help her. But he was Sasuke. And he couldn't do it. So Sakura was forced to watch and break as he pulled his arm from her gentle hold and separated himself from her.

"I don't think so Sakura." He replied as he turned his back on her. He willed himself to put one foot in front of the other, instead of turning right around and returning to her.

Sakura's face crumbled and she finally let the sadness, the grief consume her. She broke down into body shaking sobs. Sasuke winced as her heard her crying. He swallowed and kept walking.

Sakura sank to the ground where she had been standing and wrapped her arms around her legs. She rocked back and forth as she cried. Her heartache was so great, she wasn't sure if she'd have the strength to pick herself up and return to the place that had turned her life upside down.

And yet, twenty minutes later her weeping had ceased and Sakura Haruno got to her feet, returned to the hospital and worked all night long. She had to be strong for these ninja that needed her to save them.

And as she walked back, she locked her jaw and tried to ignore the fact that no matter how many times she'd asked Sasuke to spend time with her or go out with her, he'd _always_ rejected her. And now, when she needed a friend more than anything in the world...It had been no different. He still pushed her aside.

That's when Sakura knew that no matter how many times she begged him for a moment of his time, he would never consider her to be worth it. Despite how _desperately_ she may need it.

That was the moment she decided she would never ask him out again.

_'Step two: Complete.'_

_*** _

To Be Continued

**A/N: So? Was it good? Let moi know! Please review! It only takes a second, but it gives such an awesome feeling! I really hope you liked it! **

**Just to you fill you guys in, the third chapter has been finished and I guess I'll post it soon (maybe), but I haven't started the fourth chapter yet. It'll be done by tomorrow night (possibly tonight) so be patient ^^ **

**Cross yo fingahs though! (I'm so gangsta XD) **

**Thank you for reading!!**

**EDIT **OH MY GOD!!! I just read the new chapter! That was possibly the WORST CHAPTER in the HISTORY of Naruto. (rivaled only by chapters 327 , 424-425 , 382-383 AND 405) All my favourite characters are dying! And I'm guessing it won't stop there.**

** My all time favourite character will probably sacrifice himself for the village (If you didn't know already, my favourite character is Naruto. Always has been, always will be) *cries her eyes out* Terrible...just terrible. I think I might stop reading Naruto because it is just too sad. Don't worry though. I'll keep writing and reading Fanfictions! Read my profile for my full theory! (It'll be filled with spoilers though so just be aware!)**


	4. Superficial And Meaningless

**A/N: Hey guys!! Third chappy is here ^^ I'm sorry, but unfortunatly this is going to be the last chapter that I post for a while. I haven't even started the fourth chappy (I know, I'm bad! XD) And I have school all this week so I won't have much time to write! But no worries, I have the idea of what's going to happen already, so it's just a matter of writing it. I'm sorry for making you guys wait! **

**I hope you like this chapter! Please read and review! **

**Just a warning, Sasuke may seem super OOC in this, but what I want to know is: If someone openly admits that what they are doing is out of character for them...Is it really out of character? *shrugs* He is pretty OOC in this chappy, but I think it's important to show how Sasuke does care about Sakura, though he may not understand his feelings. So if you standing (or..well i guess it's sitting actually) there wondering why he..does what he does...it's because he does care about Sakura.. mm'Kay? Hope you like it guys!!! **

The Road To Recovery

_3. Don't offer him compliments!! __Informing him of all of his good qualities just helps him inflate his already Bigger-Than-Life ego. If he happens to do something wildly impressive in your presence, ignore it. If THAT proves to be impossible, compliment him in your head or go home and express your adoration onto a piece of paper. Then...rip the paper to shreds and burn it. _

***

After the night at the hospital Sakura couldn't find it within herself to leave her apartment for two weeks. She had lost three patients in total that day. Three shinobi had died, when she should have been able to save them. People were constantly telling her that she was the best healer in the village, aside from Tsunade herself, and that she was even coming close to surpassing her master as well. However in the end she was unable to save their lives when they needed her most.

Though the others survived, it wasn't without difficulties. One was now blind, his eyes being damaged far beyond repair. Others were missing limbs from the attack and one had even been paralysed from the waist down. Their once handsome or beautiful faces, their strong features as well as their pride in being shinobi of Konoha was now wiped away, hidden underneath their injuries.

They were hardly even recognizable, their faces scarred horrendously.

The guilt she felt ate her away inside. And the pieces of her soul that weren't affected by the guilt were consumed with uncontrollable greif. She cried for fourteen days straight. Her throat was raw from weeping and her eyes stung painfully.

Everyday, for two weeks she'd wake up from her nightmare-filled two hours of sleep, and then she'd simply curl into a ball and cry again. She only got out of bed when she absolutely needed to. Her eating habits had been tossed aside. She hardly ate anything at all.

Everyday, Naruto came by her place and thumped on the door for twenty minutes, pleading with her to come out, or to let him inside. She blocked out his voice. She couldn't stand for him to try and cheer her up right now, when all she wanted to feel was sadness. In the midst of all his shouts and noise making, Sakura thought sadly that Sasuke had never even asked about her. He hadn't come see her. Naruto never mentioned him ever being concerned about her well being. All these thoughts just made her cry harder.

_'He couldn't care less...' _She thought to herself. Though she was trying to forget her feelings her him, that didn't mean they weren't there. It didn't mean she wasn't secretly hoping he'd give her a reason to keep loving him.

But he hadn't. He didn't think of her as anything more than a hinderance.

What she didn't know was that everytime she thought Naruto was pounding on her front door alone, begging her to come out, Sasuke was standing right next to him silently.

In fact, everynight for the the past two weeks, the Uchiha had left his house at midnight and settled himself outside Sakura's door. He was sure to be as quiet as possible. He could hear her heartbreaking sobs through the walls, and wished that he was anything other than an Uchiha. For if he was, he could be inside with her, consoling her.

But he wasn't. So he contented himself with sitting outside her door for a few hours. He would picked himself up early every day and walk back to the compound. He'd be damned if anyone saw him thereoutside his pink haired team member's home.

He didn't know why he did it. Honestly he couldn't think of anything more out of character for him to do than that. He knew that Sakura meant _something _to him. She had known him for most of his life and was a good teammate. But that was as far as it went, he had assumed. However, when he found himself tossing around in bed, thinking about the girl, the Uchiha just felt somewhere deep, _deep _inside himself that she needed someone to be close to her right now. And maybe that he needed to be close to her too.

Sasuke couldn't admit it to himself, but her absence was getting to him far more than he had ever expected it to. He was distracted and wasn't focusing. He wasn't going to be able to sleep unless he knew that she was safe. In her inmeasurable greif, she probably wouldn't notice an intruder. She was at a weak state right now and his natural reaction to protect her was overwhelming.

However, his excuse of wanting to protect her was only his way to cover up what was really bothering him, but it wasn't fooling even himself. Sasuke knew that the main reason he was leaning against her outsdie wall in a dark hallway was his guilt. She had needed him that night. He had known that she was hurting inside and yet he had still turned his back on her. What kind of teammate turned away from their team members when they begged for your help. Kakashi's words had been running through his head for days. Though he had told them this when he was but a Genin, Sasuke was still haunted by these words.

"_Those who break the rules and codes of the Ninja world are trash. But you know what? Those who don't take care of their comrades are** lower **than trash." _

Was that what he was? Trash? He had deserted _all _of his comrades at one point, when he had left for Orochimaru. He left the village and the people whom he cared about behind him. And now he had done it again.

So here he was... sitting on the ground outside Sakura's door; listening to her crying and wishing he could help her, while not really understanding why he was even there in the first place.

***

_'Sakura. We need to stop doing this. Crying isn't going to bring them back.'_ Her inner's voice woke her from her anything-but-peaceful slumber.

Sakura tightly shut her eyes. She didn't really want to face the world. She had failed the nins she was supposed to protect. She wasn't worthy of the title she was given as a trustworthy medic that everyone could put their faith in. She didn't even have faith in herself any longer.

_'Sakura. You're wallowing. Get up and **carry on**. Carrying on doesn't mean we need to forget about them. They were brave ninja's, and they were loyal to Konoha. Do you think they would want you to stop **your **duties to this village because of this? The village they **died** for? You owe it to them to contribute to their home. They can't anymore, but we **can**.'_

Sakura slowly sat up from her lying position and pushed her feet off the side of the bed. Blinking a few times, she continued thinking about what she had to do.

_'You're beating yourself up for failing them, but by staying here crying instead of being out there helping other people in this village, you truly are letting them down. They lost their lives because of a mission to protect the people of Konoha and you are here refusing to help those very people they died for! Don't really be a failure, and continue on for them. Get your butt out there and do your job Haruno.' _

With a newfound determination, Sakura pushed herself up onto her feet and and walked to her bathroom, grabbing some clothes as she went. She slowly looked upwards and cringed at the sight in the mirror. Her eyes were red and swollen and had a crusty film in the corners and eyelashes. Her hair was a terror. Messy and knotted, it would take her an hour along just to brush it. Her lips were chapped as well and she had black rings under her eyes from sleepless nights and malnutrition. Her throat was burning and she knew as soon as she attempt to speak, her voice would probably refuse to work for her.

But she was alive. She had the chance to do something for others. Therefore, without anymore thoughts about looking like a hag, she stepped into the shower and began to prepare herself to emerge into Konoha.

After she got out of the shower she pulled on her outfit and weapon's pouch. She remembered the list that she had written to get over Sasuke. She pulled it out slowly and read the step she'd be working on today.

She briefly wondered if it was wrong to be thinking about this, after something so tragic had just taken place, but as she remembered all the times her heart had been hurt by this man...She knew that her happiness was on the line. She'd help the people of Konoha, but she'd also take steps to help herself too. She'd continue on her mission to move on.

_'Don't Compliment him. Don't Compliment him.' _

***

"Sakura-chan..."Naruto whispered softly as he engulfed her in a caring hug.

"We were so worried about you. We heard about what happened at the..." He drifted off. The last thing he wanted to do was to reopen her wounds. After a gentle greeting and concerned hug from Kakashi, the group of them moved on to the training grounds. Sai had returned from his mission within the time she'd spent inside.

"Hey ugly, where've you been?"

Sakura smiled. Same old Sai. She briefly wondered if he had even heard about what had happened, and if he had, if he would even bothr to show her a bit of respect.

"Come on hag. The team's leaving."

She sighed. Apparently not.

***

She hadn't been feeling up to a heavy sparring session, so she contented herself by reading under a tree while her boys went at each other. She was also on stand by in case Naruto and Sasuke decided to murder each other.

"TEME!"

Sakura sighed and looked up. Could they not go ten minutes without trying to kill each other? She exactly how it went too. Sasuke and Naruto would fight, Naruto would scream stupid things out loud, Sasuke would mutter insults under his breath, Naruto would be furious. And cue Chidori and Rasengan.

She rolled her eyes and looked up, her breath catching in her throat. She must have been staring, she was sure, but the sight before really took a toll on her brain. Sasuke was there, shirtless in all his sweaty and toned glory. He was out of breath and held a look of total concentration on his face.

She nearly fainted.

Of course she'd seen him shirtless countless numbers of times and he's been sweaty before. But after forgetting exactly what he looked like after two weeks, it was like seeing him for the first time.

And its was a _good_ time.

_'Haruno! Don't you dare compliment him. Don't breathe a word of this to him. He can't know about us fighting the urge to tackle him on the spot!' _Inner Sakura shouted inside.

She gulped and stared holes into the page she was on. A blush had crept up her face and she desperately willed it to go away. He would be able to see it and naturally assume what she was thinking and take it...as a compliment. Oh god...Today was _never _going to end.

Sasuke looked over at her, burning holes into her book with a slight blush, out of the corner of his eyes and smirked. After so long, Sakura was still the same.

***

Sakura arrived home and collapsed at her kitchen table. She sat there for a moment staring straight ahead of her, before slamming her head onto the table.

_'How beautiful can one guy be?!' _Her inner demanded._ 'Fifty two! FIFTY TWO! We nearly spat out compliments to the guy fifty two times! What is wrong with us!?' _

Sakura quickly remembered the list and got out a pen and paper and began to write furiously.

_1. Sasuke, I want to run my fingers all through your hair._

_2. Your abs make me die a little inside_

_3. If I weren't trying to get over you, I'd have definitely jumped you_

_4. Can someone say manly?!_

_5. I wish I was as strong as you as a ninja. _

_6. You stupid smirk makes me want to smack you...That, or kiss you. Mostly the second one. _

_7. Your strong jaw and perfect lips make me wonder if you could really put them to good use. _

_8. Sweaty men aren't always attractive but if they all looked as erotic as you do...they would be. _

_9. I want to squeeze your arms just to see if my fingers break._

_10. When you look at me, you might not know this, but you make it a lot harder for me to resist the urge to tackle and rape you. _

And so the list went until Sakura had reached number fifty two.

_'Burn it._' Her inner commanded. _'Burn it now.' _

And Sakura did burn it. It was somewhat freeing to watch her feelings from him go up in smoke. The pink haired Kunoichi watched was a small pillar of smoke rose up into the air and she closed her eyes and exhaled a big breath, It wasn't just her pitiful feelings for a certain Uchiha she was trying to let go of. After what had happened she was also trying to forget the hurt and shame.

She decided to take a walk around Konoha to clear her head. So much had happened to her so soon, and she knew that she was numbing her pain by trying to move on so quickly. But she couldn't handle it anymore.

Sakura slowly walked towards the memorial Kakashi had first shown the three of them years ago.

She ran her fingers gently over the names of the people that had died. She had tried so hard to save them, yet their names still ended up here. She could feel tears rolling down her face again. No matter how much she told herself that she was carrying on, she'd still felt a sharp ache in her heart.

"Sakura."

She lifted her head and turned herself around to look at Him.

"Sasuke-kun...."

He stood behind her with his hands buried deep in his pockets. He regarded her with an unchanging gaze. Sakura turned back to the memorial and said a quiet prayer for the men and women while wiping away her tears with the heel of her hand. She half expected Sasuke to be gone once she had finished, for he had never once waited for her. He slowly turned around and took and few steps away from her. She shook her head.

_'Of course he's not going to wait stupid. He doesn't **care.' **_

Suddenly Sasuke stopped walking and turned his head to look over his shoulder at her expectantly. At first Sakura just stood there staring at him, unsure of what he was doing. Then she widened her eyes and ran after him. Slowly he walked beside her in the direction of her apartment

Though he was at least three feet away from her on the sidewalk, he didn't say a word to her and he didn't even look in her direction, Sakura smiled softly all the way home.

As they reached the narrow cement path that lead up to the entrance of her building, Sasuke just paused for a moment and watched her make her way to the door before continuing to the compound. Just as she was about to open her front door she just looked at his retreating back and smiled. He hadn't walked her to the door or said goodbye, he just kept walking, but for Sakura, that meant more than anything else.

_'Thank you Sasuke-kun'_

As soon as the door was closed she walked mindlessly up the stairs and pulled out one piece of paper. She furrowed her eyebrows as she wrote down one last compliment.

_53. Today, you showed me real kindness._

Sakura felt a smile climb up her face. She wouldn't burn this one though. She'd keep it as a constant reminder that no matter how cold or rude or hurtful Sasuke was, he was her friend.

And she wanted to keep it that way. Nothing more. Nothing less. Just friends. Thats why she came to the decision that complimenting him wouldn't happen anymore, because she didn't want to see him _that_ way. She'd encourage him, help him, but now she'd do it because he was her friend and not because he was her love interest. She was just tricking her heart into loving him even more by admitting all the great things about him.

She finally accepted that she'd never throw meaningless and superficial comments his way again.

_'Step three: Complete.'_

_*** _

To Be Continued

**A/N: So? I hope you all liked this chappy! I tried to make Sasuke a bit less of a jerk in this one, to make it harder for Sakura to give him up, but no worries... He'll manage to mess it up and reinstate his place as top Bastard of the village soon. ^^ Haha let me know what you think! Reviews make my world go round!! **

**Hahahaha okay fun Fact about what I did this weekend: My bestie and I went to see the Jonas Brothers: 3D concert experience in theaters this weekend. Funny stuff. We went as a joke because I used to be obessed with them (I kind of dislike them now XD Though don't get me wrong...I have nothing against them ) and it was pretty much the funniest thing I've ever seen. These girls beside us were almost more entertaining than the movie, We were all singing along and clapping and waving our arms in the air. I still have to glasses too. XD The 3D part was so scary sometimes, like when this pidgeon comes at you from the screen. Fun stuff. So if you really like the Jobros, or you don't, but want a laugh, I'd recommend it. Hahahaha **


	5. Beneath The Surface

**A/N: HIII! Guess what?!?! I found the time to write *dances* I was expecting to get a crapload of work today, but I didn't which was awesome because I had so much time to work on what I REALLY love (which is this story!) Also I had this amazing rush of inspiration. Sometimes, even if I have an idea of what I'm going to write, it still take time to write it all out, but man oh man....Today it wasn't like that at all. I just wrote and wrote! YAY! I hope you like this chappy!**

**I really like this chapter personally (I'm not trying to sound vain...I just meant that I'm proud of it is all) I went for a lighter mood to give you all a break from the sad atmosphere XD So I hope you like it! PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!!!!! Enjoy you guys! **

_Disclaimer: Seriously? Are you going to subject me to this** torture** again?! ugh fine....I -cries- DON'T OWN NARUTO!!! _

The Road to Recovery

_4. Do not ogle his body and/or features while at training or on a mission. __This will be a crucial step in your road to recovery, considering the fact that the Uchiha has one of the most beautiful bodies in the history of...well....everything. If you manage to complete this step, it will only be a matter of time before you forget the bastard totally. If you begin to stare, just tell yourself to imagine him naked...WAIT NO!! DON'T DO THAT! IN ABSOLUTELY NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD YOU DO THAT! Instead...imagine him...wearing...a...a... bunny suit._

***

Sakura was freaking out.

No...Freaking out was the understatement of the century. She was sitting on the floor of her bedroom, ready to completely give up her own goal of giving up Sasuke. Her next step was impossible. Utterly insurmoutable.

No. There was impossible, which included such tasks as trying to teach Lee about Fashion, getting Choji to go on a diet or managing to get Shikamaru to kick his lazy habits to the curb. There was _that _impossible_..._ and then there was this, which was about four or five notches _above _that.

She was is the right mindset to just shove the list down her own throat, choke herself and forget about the whole thing.

_'Don't ogle him?!?!'_ She pressed a hand to her forehead and tightly squeezed her eyes shut. She'd been ogling him for as long as she could remember. In fact, she was pretty sure _every _woman in Konoha who was even remotely around their age group had been staring at him from the corners of their eyes.

_'Am I out of my mind?!' _Sakura decided to avoid answering the question to herself. She was, afterall, trying to get over the one person whom she'd ever loved who just happened to be possibly the most beautiful human specimen ever created, with a set of skills and intelligence to match. Most would debate that as being clinically insane, Sakura included.

How on earth had she even comtemplated achieving this? The more she thought about it, the closer she got to drowning herself. His abs, his face, his arms...They were all working against her.

But that wasn't even the worst part. She'd just found out this morning that she'd be leaving for a mission with the rest of her team to Suna. Unfortunatly that included Sasuke as well.

The only good news was that their "mission" was really two seperate tasks, which had simply arose at the same time and both the destinations were the same. The team would divide into two groups once they reached the border of the Land of Fire and meet up later. Gaara had been infected recently in a battle and Sakura was required to heal him. After what had happened to Kankuro a few years back, Gaara and both his sibilings put their faith in her medical abilities more than almost anyone else's. While she spent the time inside the city, the four men would scout the area surrounding Suna and Konoha to gather further information about the organization that was behind the deaths of the three shinobi.

Sakura was grateful that she wouldn't be spending all her time around the Uchiha, but that didn't expell the fact that she'd still be traveling with him for at least four days, and would be spending time with him _overnight._

Any other time, she wouldn't have a problem, for before, she was always free to swoon over his body however much she wanted to. But _now_. Now she had the pressure of forcing herself to look away. The pressure of failing on her shoulders.

"Argh...I'm going to have to shoot myself." She thought before falling over backwards and glaring a hole into the ceiling. "That or jab out my eyes with a Kunai to stop them from mentally undressing the guy."

She groaned. She was so screwed.

***

The pink haired Kunoichi reluctantly awoke the next day and began gathering all her supplies. The plan was to meet the team outside the gates at seven in the morning before heading out towards the border.

Sakura double checked her medical pack and shrugged into her jounin vest. She may have been inwardley dreading this week's step, but she knew that her duties as a ninja and medic came first. Her inhaled a deep breath and puffed out her chest before letting it all out and heading off to greet the boys.

"Sakura-chan! You're here!! Now we just have to wait for the pervert and we can go! Dattebayo!"

The cherry blossom girl heaved a large sigh. You could always count on Naruto to...liven things up. Even at seven in the morning. That liveliness had often gotten the group in trouble and his spirit and vocal capacities were enough to wake up the whole village. She momentarily made a mental note to have a little talk with him about respecting people's down time and talking with an inside voice.

_'How on earth is the guy such a morning person?'_ She wondered to herself.

"Shut up dobe. It's too early for your stupidity." Sakura very nearly giggled. While Naruto was obivously a morning person who woke up with a smile automatically plastered across his face, the Uchiha was clearly the opposite. The sharingan user probably didn't find the words "cheerful" and "morning" used in a sentence together natural.

"What was that teme?! You're just pissed because you had to wake up _alone. _Unlike me! _" _

Sakura felt her face lift slightly at Naruto's words. It was well known that the blond haired boy had been living with Hinata for two years now and that they were, without a doubt, the cutest couple in Konoha.

"Don't make me repeat myself stupid." Sasuke countered. Had a stranger walked by at that very moment, they would have been able to easily see the twitch that Naruto's face had aquired as well as the fist at his side that was itching to make contact with the Uchiha's jaw.

"Teme..." Naruto growled out.

"Oh calm down dickless. We all agree with him so just shut the hell 're giving me a migrain."

Naruto silently fumed at Sai's comment. He'd show him dickless! Sakura quirked an eyebrow at the team's antics. Had she been twelve, she would have been fretting about the team's fighting and yelling at Naruto to listen to Sasuke- _kuuun. _But since she dealt with this kind of thing everyday, she just contented herself with watching them tear each other apart until Kakashi arrived. Today she was glad for the bickering between the others, for it took her mind off of her list and reminded her that this would be exactly like every other mission. Perfectly normal.

She turned her head when she heard someone sigh beside her.

"Still fighting I see."

"Kakashi sensei..." Sakura blinked, a bit surprised. She was so lost in her thoughts she didn't even notice his signature puff of smoke.

"Yo."

"You're late again..." She stated simply in warning. She had grown accustomed to his late arrivals and had learned to accept them, for she knew that he was never going to change...Naruto, however...had not.

"You're late AGAIN you pervert! We've been sitting around here for ages!"

And so it went. Sakura just laughed she watched as Naruto yelled at him, Kakashi attempted to defend himself, Sasuke glared at the blonde and Sai just rolled his eyes and ignored them. Their routine was comforting.

***

The crew stopped their flight through the trees a little after sunset and began to make camp. They had been running for hours and it was time to settle down for a while.

Sakura began to pitch her tent in between Kakashi and Naruto's tent. Kakashi would be sharing with Sai for the trip, while Naruto would share with Sasuke. Sakura giggled when she heard Sasuke muttering threats under his breath.

"I swear dobe, if you kick me, you'll be out on your ass outside...Even a touch..."

The three tents would always stand together and because Sakura's was the smallest, she had to place it between the two others.

After all their tents had been laid out, the group sat (reletively speaking) around a fire. Sai was leaning against a nearby tree with his sketch book in hand, the scratching of his pencil the only sound eminating from the area. Sasuke lay above him in the branches of the tree, completely ignoring the rest of the group sit while Kakashi was sitting next to the fire reading his book and giggling quietly to himself. Naruto, of course, was shoveling food into his mouth and jabbering away about the mission and how he'd complete it and come one step closer to becoming Hokage. Sakura merely hugged her legs and stared into the flames.

Suddenly Sasuke jumped from the branch and started walking away.

"Hey teme! Where ya going?" Naruto asked with a slight furrow in his eyebrows.

Said "Teme" merely shrugged his shoulders and with a "Hn" kept walking.

"Antisocial bastard." Naruto muttered under his breath before shouting out to the man "Yeah well just make sure you come back after you leave this time!"

The group heard the sharp sound of a branch being broken, quite viciously, in half.

"Jeez it's hot" she muttered as the Uchiha footsteps grew fainter. She was sitting right in front of the fire and the combination of all her clothes plus her Jounin vest was causing her to sweat. She swiftly pulled off her vest and outer layer, leaving her in only a sporty black tank top. She smiled happily as the night air whipped around her overheated arms. She was prefectly comfortable.

"Well guys, we should probably head in. It's pretty late and Suna is still a while away." Kakashi mentioned while stuffing his porn into his front pocket.

"Hai, you're right. Goodnight guys." Sakura mumbled while getting up. Weariness was creeping up on her, and she knew that if she didn't go in soon, she'd fall asleep on the ground.

"'Night Sakura-chan!"

"See you tomorrow hag."

She climbed into her tent and changed into some shorts. Burrowing herself deep inside her sleeping bag, she smiled. Everything was going well. She hadn't even thought about Sasuke and his damn body. This step would be completed no problem.

The girl stopped thinking about the list and started to doze off before realizing that she'd left all her clothing out by where the fire had been. She rolled her eyes at her own forgetfulness and unzipped her tent. A shuffling could be heard outside but she just figured it was Sasuke returning from...wherever he'd been. As she climbed out she realized that that was _exactly _who it was. Wet haired, bare chested and rippling with muscle. Apparently he'd gone to bathe himself and was returning just now. He was passing the entrance to her tent and she got a nice close up view of his structured form.

_'Holy hell!' _Inner Sakura cheered before correcting herself. This wasn't exactly what you'd call _hell_. Heaven seemed to be a more fitting word.

She choked out a small gurgling noise when she saw him, instead in paying attention to where she was stepping and found herself tripping forwards, fast. Her braced herself to land hard on the ground and embarras herself, when she felt a firm hold on her wrist. She caught her balance and stood up straight, fast as lightning.

She quickly closed her eyes and thanked him politely for catching her before she kissed the ground. Sakura didn't dare to look at him again because she would probably pass out, either from humiliation or the overwhelming sensation in her gut from his looks.

She ran to the where she'd left all of her belongings and bolted into her tent with a quick"Goodnight Sasuke-kun. Thanks again. See you tomorrow!"

The Uchiha merely smirked and very nearly chuckled. She was still affected by him after so long. She really was an amusing person to observe sometimes. Annoying and highly irritating, but amusing nonetheless.

The man climbed into his tent and growled when he noticed that the dobe had put his sleeping bag on the right side of the tent. Sasuke grabbed the edge of Naruto's bed and hauled him over to the left side before settling himself down. He had to keep reminding himself that it was because he felt more comfortable on the right side, for that was the side he slept on at his house, and had nothing to do with the fact that the right side was the side closest to Sakura's tent. The very idea that he wanted to be as close to her as possible was _absurd._

Meanwhile Sakura was currently slapping the sides of her face repeatedly. Images of her Inner pointing an accusing finger towards her shouting "OGLER!" was surprisingly overpowering.

'S_o much for "forgetting about" Sasuke and his "damn body"' _She thought vehemently. She'd need to work twice as hard to look away. She'd underestimated the power of a beautiul, god-like body. Groping around for her bag, she pulled out the list and a flashlight from her bag andquickly scanned the step again.

_'Imagine him in a __**bunny**__ suit...? I...guess I can do that.' _

She shut her eyes and tried to picture the last of the prestigious Uchiha clan wearing a fluffy pink rabbit costume. She was briefly amused, before her mind's bunny-Sasuke began to unzip the costume revealing a sliver of his bare chest.

_'Oh crap! Abort! Abort!' _Inner Sakura screamed. However Sakura was trapped. Bunny-man was now pulling the zipper past his abdomen, dragging it slowly until Sakura was practically drooling in her mind. She caught a glimpse of the body he was revealing and nearly fainted.

Suddenly, almost as though someone had drenched her in water, she shook her head and grabbed the nearest pillow. Burying her face deep within the feathery depths she let a muffled scream escape her lips, before collapsing backwards.

How ironic it was that the _one_ guy she happened to be trying to let go of was the _one_ man in the world who could make a fuzzy bunny outfit alarmingly sexy and abnormally erotic.

_'Figures'_

***

The wind was blowing roughly through Suna. Sakura wrapped her Jounin's vest a bit tighter around herself while she trudged through the streets in the desert town. She was, for lack of a better word, exhausted and completely drained. She had known that Gaara's injuries were serious, but the medic had severly underestimated how bad they really were. She had drained almost every ounce of her chakra, while healing him.

Still, the happy and satisfied smiled grazed her features, as she strolled thorugh the streets. She had successfully healed the Kazekage without a hitch. Gaara held a special place in her life. She hadn't known him very well, but she trusted him with her life and considered him a good friend. Knowing that she had helped him made her feel good.

She knew she had to leave soon to meet up with her own team. She really didn't want them to have to wait around too long for her. Sakura planned to leave immediately, so she picked up the pace to the Kazekage's tower to gather her belongings from the room they had provided for her and to bid her farewells to the sand siblings. This would be the last she'd be seeing of them for a little while.

When she had packed up all her medical supplies and clothing, she made a beeline to the Kage's office. One gentle knock later, she found herself face to face with Gaara, for the last time for a few months. She bowed deeply.

"Thank for your hospitality Kazekage-sama." The red haired man gave her a subtle look at the formality and Sakura laughed lightly. "Sorry. _Gaara. _I hope you're feeling better. I really should leave soon though, 'cause the rest of my team will be waiting for me."

"I understand Haruno-san." It was Sakura's turn to give him a look. Gaara sighed and very nearly smiled. "_Sakura. _Thank you once again. You better say goodbye to Temari or she'll throw a fit." Sakura tilted her head back and laughed. She could just picture her close friend complaining about her leaving without a real goodbye.

"Will do. Thank you once again. Goodbye Gaara." She bowed one final time and quickly left to find the blonde haired sand sibling.

About ten minutes later, Sakura was already sprinting thorugh the trees. Because of her lack of Chakra, she had to run at a normal speed, instead of instilling power into her feet to enhance her speed. She silently hoped that they wouldn't have been waiting for her for too long. To be honestly she'd feel guilty for being the one to hold them back. She hadn't seen them all for a few days, so a late entrance wasn't what she was looking for.

The leaves whipped around her as she jumped quickly from branch to branch. She burst thourgh into a clearing to take a small break after abour an hour or two or traveling. The depletion of her chakra was taking it's toll. She leaned against a tree and slowly slid to the ground. She panted quietly. She knew that she must have been somewhat close to her teammates. They should be around the area somehwere and she deserved a break. The girl had really pushed herself.

"Well...Looky what decided to drop in." Sakura tensed suddenly at the words. Spoken in a deep male voice, Sakura shivered at the realization that it was no one she recognized. It was impossible to miss the malicious tone behind the words.

She cursed herself for letting her guard down. Her eyes snapped open and she snarled as she noticed the three males that had surrounded her. A brief thought crossed her mind and she wondered if these are the ninja's they were searching for.

"What should we do with her Raiyu?" One of them asked.

"Do with me? You won't_ do _anything with me." Sakura snapped as her temper flared. How dare they talk about her that way! She had risen to her feet sharply and was preparing to make a break for it. She literally had no chakra left to fight them. Her only hope to make it out of this situation was to run and attempt to find her team members.

"Oh? Is someone a bit edgy?" Another spoke up as he advanced towards her, too close for Sakura's liking, "Or are you just feisty like that all the time?" He added as he pinned her to the tree. Sakura snarled again before locked her leg behind his and pulling it towards herself. Her tactic had barely effected him, due to her weak state, however it had caught him off guard and thrown off his balance just a bit. That was all she needed to squirm out of his grasp and bolt through the trees.

She was mentally petrified. She had really gotten herself in deep shit this time. No chakra, exhausted, no teammates in sight with three rogue Nin chasing after her.

_'Oh god, please let me find someone. Anyone.' _She prayed mentally. She knew she wouldn't last long.

Suddenly a shooting pain instilled itself in her shoulder and she cursed loudly. A kunai was embedded deeply in her skin and the blood was already trailing from the wound.

Twenty minutes and_ countless _wounds later, the ninja were catching up to her and she was growing more terrified by the second. Abruptly her ears picked up a trace of movement farther in the trees and she immediately switched her direction and headed straight for the sound.

She threw herself through the branches and breathed a slight sigh of relief.

"Sasuke-kun.." She was crying she knew, but she had never been so happy to see a friendly face.

"Sakura. What happened?"

"Sasuke...kun" Sakura could feel herself losing conciousness. The last thing she remembered seeing was Sasuke turning towards the approaching enemies with his Sharingan spinning blindingly fast, his shirtless figure positioned in the fighting stance.

He wordlessly unsheathed his katana with a murderous glare and silently faced the rogues that had just revealed themselves. Somebody was about to pay dearly for Sakura's current state. He'd certainly make sure of it.

***

A few days later, Sakura slowly open her eyes. She gathered in her surroundings as soon as she'd woken up. She could finally breathe when she recognized the white room as a patient's room in Konoha's hospital.

She took in the vase of flowers on her beside table and the numerous bandages that covered her arms.

The girl tried to remember everything that had happened to her while she had been running for her life. She could remember no further than when she had first run into Sasuke. He'd been doing...something, she didn't know what when she'd finally found him.

She could clearly recall the mildly surprised look on his features before he'd turn away to face the men chasing her. He didn't even pause to prepare himself. He'd probably taken on those nin with nothing but his pants on. He'd been barefoot and shirtless and yet she knew in the back of her mind that he'd punished those nin and that thought made her smile lightly. He was certainly a good firend.

_'Wait...Whoa...Hold it! Shirtless..? As in chest exposed, abs blaring, the whole package? And we didn't notice?!'_ Her inner screamed. She was a little more than a bit shocked. In fact she was a _lot _more than a bit shocked. He'd been shirtless and she hadn't even noticed. All of a sudden she smiled softly at the thought because she'd finally made a revelation. She knew exactly why she hadn't notice them.

It was because she didn't really care about that stuff! She'd needed him at that moment. It had been a life or death situation, and he had been there for her no questions asked...and that meant a great deal more to her than the fact that he had a great body. He had shown her that he would be there for her.

All this time she'd been drooling over him, saying that she was attracted to him simply for his looks. That was her sheild. Her excuse because she was too scared admit anything else. She knew she loved him, but her excuse for loving a traitor who'd deserted the village was that, hell, the man was hot. Who could blame her? Any villagers who still held a grudge against him could still comprehend why she had a crush on him. It was her safe zone.

But after the incident in the forest, she finally admitted to herself that she cared about him because he was always going to protect her and be a good friend. There were so many better qualities in Sasuke that were hundreds of times more attractive than his looks.

He was her _friend._ And in her eyes, even as she was fainting from exhaustion, that shone more than what was on the outside.

That's how she discovered, laying in a hospital bed, covered in bandages, that she never had to worry about ogling him again. She'd never care more about his looks than his personality. She'd never look at his body that way again. He'd been a good friend to her today, so she'd repay him in her own little way by being the same for him. She vowed to always look past the surface, because that's where the real Sasuke was.

_'Step Four: Complete.'_

_*** _

To Be continued

**A/N: So? You like? I hope you did..I was imagining the scene with the bunny suit in my brain and I just _had_ to write it. Originally I was going to do something with Karin in this chapter, but I came up with this little plot bunny...But don't worry..I have this whoooole plan for Karin's appearance in this story...as well as our SECOND favourite blonde haired, blue eyed character (Can you figure out who I'm takling about? XD XD) **

**Anyways...I just want to apologize for all the typos i made in the last chapter. I read it, but I most not have been paying attention when I was going over it, because after I posted the chapter I skimmed it quickly and I was like "Oh jeez!! -smacks forehead-" So sorry about that. Sometime I just type super fast because the ideas all rush out and I don't want to forget any of them, so I type like a crazy person and thus, the mistakes happen XD XD **

**Also, if you guys want to know the status of my fic you should just check my profile. I honestly update it almost everyday, letting people know how far I am, or what's going on... so in case you're all wondering when I'm going to post next or anything feel free to just cast a quick glance there. **

**Thank you for reading!! Can't wait to hear what you think and keep writing. I also know how it's going to end. I was thinking of the whole conclusion and I know exactly how it's going to finish up :D The ending is definitely going to be the easiest chapter to write. It's all mapped out in my mind and I cannot friggan wait to write it up ^-^ So just keep checking back until then (only nine chapters left to go!) **


	6. Looking Good

**A/N: Well guys...here it is ^^ Chapter five :D This one is probably the longest chapter so far, but that's only because I had a lot of loose ends to tie up from the last chapter. I have to admit that this is one of my least favourite chapters. I really don't like it.....*cries* I tried not to rush anything (that's why it's so long) PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK! My favourite part about uploading a new chapter is reading all your reviews :D**

**Also! Big news! The Road To Recovery is going to be translated into Spanish *dances* So A HUUUUGE hug to Mary Alice de Whitlock Brandon for doing it ^^ I wish I spoke spanish cause then I could read it...**

**So without anymore talking on my part..I'd just like to say: Prepare yourself for the return of the Bastard. Yup that's right. He's back. *dramatic music* I hope you like it and I'd really appreciate it if you reviewed! Thanks for reading! **

_Disclaimer: Fine then! Make me say it again! I don't own Naruto! Happy now? *runs off crying* _

The Road To Recovery

_Always try to dress your best and look utterly...well...for lack of a better word, hot. __If you look good, feel good and take pride in the fact that you are one unique and smoking hot pink haired beauty, everyone will take notice of your newfound confidence. This includes men. Yes...In your obsession with Sasuke, you have forgotten about the other eligible men of Konoha. So always remember to spend a bit of time each day and put in that extra effort. Soon you'll feel so empowered that Sasuke Uchiha won't even cross your mind._

***

Sakura pushed herself up onto her elbows as she lay in the hospital bed. She was dying to know what had happened in the forest. How she had gotten there and the condition of her other team members. She briefly wondered if those were the ninja's that had killed the three shinobi and left the others with severe injuries. But in the back of her mind, she knew they weren't. Sakura was anything but stupid.

The group of nin that had killed three _anbu _and had taken out three seperate teams within three weeks, were not about to let a lone injured and tired _jounin _who could barely standget awayand be defeated by one ninja who wasn't even prepared to fight them.

Not going to happen. They were probably just a few bandits. Normally Sakura had no problems with fighting scum like them, but, though she hated to admit it, she had _really_ over stepped her personal boundaries.

She immediately pushed the button that called a nurse in over and over again. Patience may have been a virtue, but Sakura didn't possess it. She wanted answers to her questions and she wasn't about to sit around in a sterile white-walled room waiting for them, while little old ladies brought her jell-o cups. The nurse practically waltzed into the room wearing the biggest smile Sakura had ever seen on someone's face at 9:00 in the morning. Apparently, some the lower staff were feeling quite smug at the fact that she was on the recieving end of the treatment this time and that they would be in charge of her.

"What can I do for you Haruno-San? Is everything alright?" The blonde haired nurse asked in a sickly sweet voice. Sakura resisted the urge to roll her eyes and prayed with all her might that she didn't sound as...candy-coated when she was treating her patients.

"Yeah yeah, I was just wondering if there was anyone who could get a hold of my team for me. I kind of need to talk to them. As soon as you can please. Thank you."

"Oh...Oh! You mean Uchiha-San? I'll get right on that Haruno-San! I'll get him first chance I get, but I hope you understand that I'm very busy. I've had to take on many of your usual jobs." Sakura nearly gagged as she watched the woman practically sprint out of the room.

_'Busy my __**ass**__'_ Sakura thought to herself. Just another fangirl off trying to convince the stoic guy that she was the perfect woman to rebuild the Uchiha clan with, while casually throwing in that his stupid pink haired teammate wanted to talk to him about something trivial. She really hated girls like that.

_'Che. We used to be one.'_ Her inner reminded her.

_'...Shut up.' _She pushed her inner out of her thoughts. She was in the process of trying to get over that particularily nasty habit of her's.

***

"Oh and I am really great with kids. Really great. And I've been practically in love with you for a few years now. I know a lot about you. Some girls are just way too superficial for my tastes."

The Uchiha scowled. Having his ear talked off by some random bimbo was not his idea of a good day.

"Hn. Is there a reason that you're talking to me?"

The nurse recoiled a bit. But never the quitter, she continued on as though he hadn't said anything.

"Some of the girls in the village are just, like, waaaaay too obessed with you. Must be annoying." She pressed herself up against him and latched onto his arm. "Like that pink haired bitch. You've been her teammate for _how_ long..? And never once have you shown an interest in her. I mean, take a hint pinky! I feel so sad that you have to deal with her"

Sasuke was growing more and more fed up with this hypocrite. She really needed to get away from him. Desperate enough to insult Sakura to his face. Pathetic.

"Even today! I'm treating her at the hospital, and she was asking for you constantly. I mean she asked for your whole team, but I knew she just wanted a reason to annoy you again and try to get you to-"

"What did she need?" The Uchiha interrupted. The mention of Sakura needing him kind of flicked a small switch inside him. He wasn't even going to bother ignoring her.

"Meh, it's probably nothing-"

"_What. _did. she. need?" He spoke slowly, trying to make sure the girl understood him. She didn't seem to be too bright and the fact that she was even working at the hospital made him question some of their choices in staff. Not all staff though. He knew _some _of them were very talented medic nins.

"Sh-she just sa-said th-that she needed to-to talk to y-you guys." Intimidated, she just stuttered it out.

She was mildly surprised at how fast the man disappeared.

***

Sakura huffed as she shifted in her bed. What on earth was taking that nurse so long? She figured she left for a break to find Konoha's number one bachelor, (instead of just sending another nin or contacting someone she knew) and decided to ignore her request all together.

_'Stupid Fangirl.' _

Surprised was one emotion she couldn't claim to be feeling at this moment, though irritated and angry...those were another story.

"Sakura."

"Sakura-chan! You're okay!"

The girl bolted upright, shocked at their sudden appearances.

"Sa- Sasuke-kun! Naruto! Don't scare me like that!" She stated, while clutching her chest for effect

"Hn."

"Are you alright?! We were really scared. You were out cold for nearly a week! I was so worried about you. The old lady was furious...I wish I had been there to kick their asses for what they did to you."

All recollection of why she wanted to the rest of her team came flooding back to her.

"Right, I almost forgot considering how long that nurse took to send you guys over. Sometimes I _really _question the choices this place makes in the staff. Honestly!"

Somewhere amidst her rambling Sasuke smirked. No matter how different they were or how annoying she was, they agreed on something.

"I mean, she could have just found you Naruto! No offense, but you're not very hard to find. You just spend all your time at Ichiraku's How hard is it to just let someone know-"

"Sakura. Do you have a point that you want to highlight anytime soon?" Sasuke asked, getting impatient.

"Oh right. Well I just really wanted to what happened back there...in the forest. I passed out as soon as I found you and I just wanted to know..."

"..." The Uchiha remained silent. Instead of filling her in, he decided that something outside the window was a little more interesting.

"We don't really know." Naruto told her. "The group had all split up earlier and we had all met up at the meeting spot and we started getting a bit worried when you didn't show up. But teme left right away cause he had to..." Naruto chuckled a bit. Sakura furrowed her eyebrows together. Why was he laughing?

"Dobe..." Sasuke muttered in a warning tone.

Naruto just began to giggle harder. Sakura smiled slighty in her confusion.

She laughed "Sasuke-kun. What's going on?" He shot her a glare and turned back to the window.

"Teme...Te-Teme ran into a bit of trouble. As we were heading back we ran into some bandits, who were probably involved with the bastards that attacked you and they had a certain weapon or jutsu that...that...shot this...stuff out" He broke down in laughter again. "And got it all over teme. He smelled like shit for about an hour! He went off _sulking _into the forest to clean up."

By this point the two of them were shaking with giggles.

"Hn. Annoying." He grumbled.

"Oh! Don't be that way Sasuke-kun! It's funny! But now I really want to hear the rest of it." She became serious suddenly.

"Well then, we heard screaming coming from where Sasuke had gone off to-"

Sakura's face clouded with confusion and surprise. "You were screaming?"

"What? Oh! Oh no no no. It was the other guys that were screaming. Teme took care of them. By the time we got there, they were...destroyed for lack of a better word. If I had been there though..." Sakura wordlessly glanced in his direction.

"You were knocked out and we didn't know if you'd be okay. The group of us sprinted back here as quickly as possible. I don't think I've ever seen Teme run that fast. Like I said earlier. Baa-chan was furious. I was kind of scared actually." He laughed sheepishly while scratching the back of his head. "If you want to know what happened during the fight you'll have to ask him though." Naruto stated while pointing over his shoulder.

"What about Sai? And Kakashi-sensei? Are they alright?"

Naruto nodded swiftly. Sakura breathed a sigh of relief.

"....So...Did you um ...Did you find the other nin you were searching for?" She was hoping that they had found some information on them for this particular case was really very important to her. Sasuke tore his gaze away from the window and glanced over his shoulder at her, exposing no emotion.

"Sakura, we didn't find anything. I'm sorry. We tried but whoever they are...they knew what they were doing."

Sakura looked down at the sheets and closed her eyes. She just wanted them to suffer like they had...Like she had.

"No...No it's alright guys. Thank you for trying though. And thank you Sasuke. I just don't know what I would have.." She drifted off. She wanted to slap herself for getting so sentimental over him. He was supposed to be just a friend. She wasn't supposed to care so much that he'd saved her life. She was meant to be getting over him.

"How long was I out for?" She asked. She was really curious as to how serious it had been.

"I think it was about five or six days. You had more injuries than we originally thought. The nerves in your shoulder were kind of messed up because of one of the kunai that they threw and you were bleeding a _lot._ But the old lady took care of those after a while but she said that you were out because...uh..what was it?" He scratched his head and knitted his eyebrows trying to remember.

"Because you used way too much of your chakra. You were stupid Sakura. They almost killed you." Sasuke suddenly spoke up. The pink haired patient vaguely wondered if he'd been fighting with the words the whole time.

"I know..I know that Sasuke, but I really wasn't expecting to run into some group of punk nin alright?"

"Hn. You used too much chakra on Gaara. That's what kept you unconcious for six days."

"He needed my help! What was I supposed to do? Leave him fighting for his life just so that I would have enough chakra to defend myself on the _off_ chance that I would be attacked on the way home? That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard! He _needed _me!" Sasuke stiffened at the words.

He _needed_ her? Sasuke didn't fully understand why, but those three words made his chest swell with anger.

"Hn. You're so stupid." He spat. The next words he uttered made Saskura bristle with anger and hurt.

"If you're not going to think, you don't deserve to be a Kunoichi, Sakura." Sakura gasped at what he'd said. She could already feel tears gathering behind her eyes.

"Teme! What the hell do you think you're saying?! Shut the hell up!" Naruto intervened. He shoved Sasuke against the wall while Sakura stared intently at her hands. She needed her list.

"Hn. Dobe." With that Sasuke threw Naruto off him and stalked out of the hospital. Sakura _needed _her list.

"Sakur-"

"Naruto," She interjected, "Can you go to my apartment and grab me some clothes and my weapon's pouch? I just want to get out of here."

"Yeah...yeah I will. I'll be right back Sakura-chan." He began to leave when he stopped at the doorway and turned around "Don't think too much about what Sasuke said. He didn't mean it. He was just worried about you. He's too much of an ass to admit it, but he was." And with that, her blonde haired friend left the room.

_'Ass is right.'_ She thought, while flopping backwards onto her pillows to cry.

***

After Naruto brought her her stuff and a bowl of ramen (his own personal touch to help her feel better and give her a break from hospital food) Sakura got dressed quickly and immediately lunged for her weapons pouch.

'Dress hot? I don't even **own **anything that could be considered hot!' She cast a quick glance over her attire now. She didn't even remotely think that her sweaty, dirty ninja gear could be considered the trend of the moment. She'd need professional help with this one. Sakura flinched when she thought of what she needed to do to get that help and the reaction she'd recieve when she sought it out. She already knew that this was going to be an interesting day.

"Sakura." Said pink haired girl turned around to face her sensei and the Hokage of the leaf.

"Shishou!" Tsunade moved into the room and gave her a stern galnce.

"What do you think you're doing?" She asked in a serious voice. "Oh. Um well I was just going to uh...leave the hospital." She finished off looked up to her master's face to find no hint of amusement on it. She figured she may as well plead her case.

"Well you see...I'm feeling one hundred percent better and I'm just bored in here and I mean what's going to happen if I leave now? I'm a medic. I'm sure that I can take care of anything that's bothering me. And I'm itching to get back to work-"

"Sakura, stop rambling." Tsunade spoke while holding her forehead. Sakura's immediate guess was that her sensei had broke into the Sake and was now suffering from a really bad hangover. "Sorry shishou."

"I'll let you leave today Sakura, but I don't want you training yet. You really strained yourself last time so just give the sparring a rest." Sakura smiled and began once again to gather her things. She suddenly remembered something Naruto had said and wondered about it.

"Um...Shishou? Na-Naruto said something while he was here....about you being really angry...?" She hoped her teacher wasn't angry with her. She didn't want to disappoint the woman who spent so much time teching her.

"Nah.. Sakura. I was angry at how lightly you'd used your reserves," She gave Sakura a look at this. "but don't worry. I was just angry at the nin who'd done that to you." Sakura smiled lightly and hugged her sensei before running out of the room.

'Well no training...that's going to suck, but I guess it kind of works out with today's step. At least I won't have to worry about the functionality of my outfit.' She thought, optimistic as always, as she ran towards the center of town.

***

Ino didn't even look up from her magazine as she heard the bell to the shop ring. After hours of helping men pick out the best flowers to get out of the doghouse, she figured it'd just be some other sad sap that needed his girl to forgive him for something stupid he'd done. "Yamanaka's flowers. Do you need any help with anything?" She drawled out in a distrcted tone. She was still absorbed in her magazine.

"Well, you can help me with this for one thing Ino-pig." Ino's head shot up at the voice and her mood brighten considerably.

"Forehead! You're okay! I almost had a heart attack when I saw you in the hospital with so many injuries. What do you need my help with?" The blonde engulfed her friend into a hug. Sakura smiled into her shoulder. It was nice to know someone was so concerned for her, when she knew painfully well that _certain other's_ weren't.

"This." Sakura stated simply as she slammed her list down onto the table ontop of Ino's magazine.

"What..is..?" The Yamanaka drifted off as she read what it wondered if showing the list to the blonde was a good idea, but she knew that she wouldn't be able to pull off some of the steps without her.

"Sakura!" Ino squealed. "You getting over him finally! I'm so glad!" Once again Sakura was pulled into a tight and sudden hug. Her face was know pressed against Ino's shoulder quite uncomfortably

"MmHmm. Ino can you um..let me go now?" She mumbled into her friends shoulder.

"Oh right...But Sakura are you sure about this?" Her friend asked, concern etched onto her features. "It's a big thing to do...I know that you've loved him for nearly your whole life. But are you sure you're ready to let him go?" The cherry blossom girl's face slowly fell. She'd been wondering the same thing. She really loved this man, no matter how cold he was. She didn't know if she could learn to love another. A sudden series of flashbacks zoomed back to her mind of all the times she'd cried over him, all the times he'd hurt her. Determination won over fear and Sakura nodded firmly.

"Alright then. So what step are you on now?" Sakura wordlessly pointed to step five and waited to see her friend's reaction. It was sure to be explosive. Sakura smirked as she saw her friends face change suddenly. At first it had been curious, but as soon as she read what step Sakura was pointing to, the pink haired girl could see the change. Her eyes widened and her mouth slowly crept up into, possibly the biggest grin she'd ever seen Ino give. The blonde turned very slowly towards Sakura with her hands clasped together and stars in her eyes. Sakura could tell she was fighting to hold back a squeal.

Sakura sighed, amused at her friend's enthusiasm. "Yes Ino. Yes you can." She answered her friend's silent plea.

"AH!" Sakura stepped back from the girl, eyes wide, startled at her loud outburst. "I'm so excited! We will make that friggin Uchiha choke himself on his own drool!" The two laughed together at the image.

"The good thing is that I've been excused from training so we don't have to worry about whether or not I can train in it."

Ino laughed at her friends comment. "Pft. Honey, we women don't worry about whether it _is_ functional. We _make _it functional." Ino told her while she walked to the store window and switched the once "Come in! We're open!" sign to closed.

Sakura gulped slightly as she felt herself being dragged upstairs to Ino's room.

_'I hope this was a good idea...'_

***

Two hours later, Sakura found herself walking down the street in what even she couldn't deny was the best outfit she'd ever worn. She'd been worried that when Ino thought "hot" she translated it to "tramp" but apparently she needed to put more faith in her friend. Sakura couldn't deny that she looked good.

Her usual straight hair was now bouncing up and down in soft curls and her usual make up-free face was now gleaming underneath a light pink eyeshadow and red lipgloss. She swore that she could feel her eyelashes being weighed down with all the mascara. But even though she was wearing makeup, Ino hadn't gone overboard and crossed the fine line between tasteful and cakeface.

She normally wore her usual outfit (red dress, training shorts and her gloves) on days like today, but now she'd been clothed in a sweet pink tank top that Ino had found in her closet. It was meant to be worn as a training top, but both girls figured it looked nicer as a normal, casual shirt. She was also sporting a soft white skirt that went down to just above her knees and flowed softly when a light breeze blew.

As she walked carefully down the street she could feel eyes on her as she walked by. The men in this town seemed to have forgotten that Sakura was a fairly attractive girl. She smiled when one man actually wolf whistled.

_'Acting like a girl is kind of fun.' _She though with a giggle. She arrived at the training grounds to find her team already going at it. Today Naruto was fighting Sai and Sasuke was sparring with Kakashi. Sakura waved and smiled brightly as she approached. She noticed that both groups paused in their training to look over at her. She saw Naruto's eyes bug out, Sai's fake and eerie smile and Kakashi's widened eyes. What she didn't see was the young Sharingan user's sharp intake of breath or his heavy swallow.

"Kakashi-sensei!" She called out. She continued to make her way towards the group and prepared to hear Naruto's reaction.

"Sa-Sa-Sakura-chan!! SAKURA-CHAN!" She smirked. There it was.

"You look..awesome! Dattebayo! What happened to you?!" Sakura twitched at this.

"What..._happened_...to me? What's that supposed to mean, baka!? She shouted as she dealt a nasty blow to Naruto's jaw.

"Nothing! I just meant that you looked really pretty today Sakura-chan!" She smiled softly "Thanks Naruto.' She made her way towards her sensei and waved him over again.

"Kakashi-sensei! I just came to let you know that I won't be training today or tommorrow, okay? Tsunade-sensei has banned me from it for a while. I just wanted you to know."

Kakashi just smiled and pulled her into a hug. "I'm glad you're alright." He said to her. Sakura knew that he meant more than just that she was okay from her mission. Her encounter with the Uchiha was still fresh in her mind.

"I am...I really am." she assured him.

"Now I'm just wondering if we should be going with you or not. You're looking very nice today Sakura. Who knows? Some pervert might just try to take advantage of our cherry blossom and steal you away from us." His eyes crinkled into a smile as he saw her blush faintly and, unknown to Sakura, when he felt the Uchiha next to him stiffen.

"We'll see you back at training in a few days. Have a good day off Sakura. Just take it easy okay?" Kakashi continued. Sakura nodded curtly before turning around and headinShe waved quickly over her head in a final farewell and made her way to Ichiraku's.

***

Kakashi's eyes widened as he continued his fight with Sasuke. Originally the man seemed a little less intense, but now... Now, after Sakura's visit, the black haired prodigy was holding nothing back. Kakashi didn't know if he could keep up with him when he was like this.

He was jolted out of his thoughts as he was forced to retreat from a series of twisting red flames that his sparring partener had conjured up.

"Sasuke! Take it easy. This is just a spar!" Kakashi called out, but once again he was answered with a fierce Katon.

Suddenly, as the smoke and fire cleared, Kakashi saw Sasuke's retreating back._ 'Where is he goin- oh.'_ The copy ninja smiled slyly. He knew where the man was going. He pulled out his copy of Icha Icha and settled himself underneath a tree.

"Dobe! Let's go." He heard him call out to his friend and he briefly hoped that his student wouldn't do anything stupid or rash that would make Sakura even madder at him.

_'Probably will though.'_ He decided as he turned the page and broke out into perverted giggles.

***

Sakura twitched as she felt another hand roaming towards her backside. She was honestly shocked at how many perverts there were in this town. _'Probably all in cahoots with Jiraiya.'_

"Touch me and die." She muttered. She was just sitting at Ichiraku's waiting for her ramen when the men seemed to flock towards her. She already punched three guys that found it appropriate to grope her on the streets. Still, despite the trouble it caused, she liked dressing nicely. It was flattering when a boy would smile at her or check her out. It did make her more confidant in herself.

She made the extra effort and, like the list said, she forgot all about Sasuke.

Suddenly, she felt the hand making it's journey back to her bum and she growled. However, before she could do anything to the middle aged closet pervert, she found her already laying on a heap on the ground and a furious looking Uchiha in his place.

"Sasuke-kun! What was that for? I could have taken care of him." She was answered by a glare and silence. She turned to look at her other side and found Naruto sitting there guzzling down ramen. _'What are they doing here?'_ she pondered in her mind.

She wasn't feeling hungry anymore so she quickly got up and let Naruto know that he could have to ramen she'd ordered when it came. She made her way up the sidewalk and smiled when another boy approached her.

"Hey there. Where'ya headed? Do you...Do you want to maybe hit the park or something with me later?" She smiled and was about to gracefully turn down his offer for a date when she felt an ominous presence behind her.

"She's going home." She turned around to face an irritated looking Uchiha, sharingan activated and all.

"Well _actually_ I was-" She started.

"She's going home." Sasuke repeated before grabbing her elbow and dragging her away from the boy and up the sidewalk. Sakura's mouth fell open a bit at his forcefulness over the subject but she wasn't about to take it. Digging her heels into the ground she wrenched her arm out of his grasp.

"No I'm not! Who do you think you are?! He was just being nice Sasuke-kun! You have no right to do something like that to someone who was just being kind. I'm _not _going home, so forget about it!" Her shouts could be heard from all around them, but she didn't care. Turning on her heel, she stormed away from him haughtily

She made a mental note to try and dress nicely everyday. There were several reasons why. For one, it made her feel good to look nice. Two, it allowed her to meet men who were kind and who could maybe even learn to care about her serously. But the biggest reason was that Sasuke didn't like it. And as of now...She'd do anything to make him angry. She wasn't going to stop doing something that she liked because he had some stupid issue with it. _Forget _it Uchiha!

_'Step five: Complete.' _

_*** _

To Be Continued

**A/N: .......Um...Did you like it...? I tried to make it an okay chapter but it was more of a side chapter than anything. There was no drama or anything exciting. I'd just like to point out on a side note that I would normally not describe a characters clothing. It just doesn't really fit my story, but I figured that it would make sense to describe it this time, considering the step the chapter's centered around.**

**I also introduced Ino's character in this chappy ^^ Her part wasn't very big in this one but it won't be the last time we see her ^^**

**We also saw a bit of a jealous Sasuke *squeal* He acted like a jerk to Sakura i know..but we all know he loves her :3**

**Please review!! I hope you liked it!! I'm sorry for the wait but I've had such an awful week. I just feel curling up under a rock and dying. But I knew all week that I needed to update...I just couldn't really bring myself to do it until yesterday when I first started this chapter at around...9:00 at night. So sorry for making you guys wait all week, but it's here now ^^ Hope you enjoyed!! **


	7. Sasuke kuuuuuun!

**A/N: Hey guys ^^ This is the new chappy. I hate to say it but it's kind of like a..a filler type thing *hangs head in shame* Nothing exciting happens, no fights, no drama, no really jealous Sasuke. It's mainly just a way for Sakura to see him in a new way and to develop the characters. I have to say that I hate this chapter. Hate it. I prefer it when things go wrong :D So the next chapter will be filled with good stuff. okay? I promise *holds up right hand* Still, I hope you like this chapter a little bit. Just be patient until next time. Please review!!! **

**Warning: Mild Karin Bashing! If you like her, please don't hate me! **

_Disclaimer: Please stop making me do this! It's so painful to admit that I don't own Naruto and the chances of me ever owning it are non existant! *cries* _

The Road to Recovery

_6. Cut out the –Kun!__! From now on you will refer to the man in question as Sasuke. NOT Sasuke-kun. The elimination of this suffix will not only let him know that you are no longer dying for his affections, but also you'll be subconsciously telling your heart to accept the fact that you don't want to be with him anymore. If you occasionally let a small "Sasuke-kun" slip out, quickly correct yourself. There's no room to be weak. Clear your throat loudly and proudly say "Sorry...Sasuke."_

***

The sun rose the next day, and as Sakura looked out the window she prayed that the beautiful weather would brighten her mood. She was just so frustrated.

She wasn't sure if the list was necessarily doing it's intended job as of yet, but there was no doubt that it was certainly making her mad at him.

_'There is __**no**__ way in hell I'm apologizing to him this time.' _She thought with a huff. He'd been acting so unlike himself. She had no idea what was going on with him, but it was confusing her. Half the time she didn't know whether she wanted to hug the man or to kick his ass.

_'I need to finish the steps. That's the only way I know I'll be over him. If I don't...ugh. I just might become a fangirl. That or I'll murder him in the next fourteen days.' _She rationalized in her head as she stomped around her room searching for her list.

"Where is it?!" She hissed. For one moment, she worried about whether she might have lost it at some point. Images of her list blowing away and landing in front of Sasuke's front door burst behind her eyelids.

"Aha!" Five minutes, and one disaster zone formerly known as her room, later, she'd finally found it. Relief spread throughout her system. It was amazing how one lone piece of paper could make or break you.

Sakura's eyes scanned the page quickly and a giant smile crept up her face. Oh...this step would be easy. She'd show him. She wouldn't be rude, because he was her teammate, but he would have to learn a small lesson on how to treat someone. It wasn't extreme, it was just enough to show that no longer would he be able to push himself into her business without her taking it to heart.

She knew that, due to how he'd attempted to control her and what she did last week, mistreated an innocent guy just because he took an interest in her _and _had taken jerkoff to a whole new level that cutting out his precious suffix would be simple.

Confidance was key and Sakura had tons of it.

_'Bring it.' _she smiled smugly.

***

Sasuke woke up early as he always did. After preparing himself for his own training session, he sat down for a few minutes to have a cup of tea and mull over everything that had been happening. He'd get to the training field in a few minutes. Right now, he needed to clear his head. He'd been feeling extremely...he didn't even have a word for it. It was the most bizarre feeling he'd ever felt.

Sakura had dressed differently than she normally did. He'd never seen her really change the way she looked, at least not that drastically, since the day she'd cut her hair during the Chuunin exams. It had taken him off guard. He can't say it was bad exactly. She had looked...decent. But he was an Uchiha and, for the moment, he had more important things to think about than the opposite sex.

That being the case, he was completely stumped by the fact that the image of her that day seemed to be permenantly ingrained into his conciousness. The picture of her walking towards them while they'd been training was literally stuck in his mind. Men from his family weren't known to be affected by women. It just didn't fit the "Uchiha" profile.

At the time he'd actually been a bit surprised and he was sure that Kakashi had heard him intake a breath. Uchiha's were never surprised. They knew things, they expected things, they assumed things. So to say that he had not expected her to come out so...decent looking was a huge blow to him and his ego.

Even before that afternoon, he'd been noticing changes in himself. After that day in the hospital, he'd even stayed outside her apartment out of guilt and concern. When he'd first met her in the forest after she'd been attacked, he'd abruptly thought of his own life without the Kunoichi in it, and he'd been worried that he'd have to face the future without the pink haired girl. Uchiha's were never concerned. They never had a feeling of helplessness like the one he'd felt on the mission. They weren't supposed to care _too much. _

And then there was the awful, almost burning sensation that had consumed his body the other day. He knew the feeling. He was painfully familiar with it, however it never had anything to do with Sakura before. The feeling was the same as the one he'd felt shortly before he'd left the village. When he'd resented Naruto and had craved to beat him. The desire to be as strong. It had been the final step to pushing him actually leaving. It was the same feeling he'd felt when he saw his father favouriting his brother. The feeling he got when he was rejected in favour of Itachi time and time again.

But what _was_ it?

However it had been different this time. With Naruto, it had been that he'd wanted to improve and gain the strength that Naruto had, to move towards his goal. With his brother, it had been a longing to be loved just as much, to have even a sliver of the attention that Itachi got. But now, it simply created a desire to rip the arms off any man who thought to touch Sakura. To distance her from any other male. He tried to tell himself that it was because she'd been his teammate for so long and that to get involved with a man would throw off their team balance and distract her.

He never even fathomed the fact that he could have been _jealous. _Uchiha's didn't do envy, they _were _envied.

He closed his eyes, let out a frustrated breath and tried to find the answer. He hated to admit that he was confused, but that was exactly what he was. _Uchiha's were not supposed to be confused. _

He'd of never thought of the woman in that way. He hadn't even really thought of her as a real _woman_ until now. She'd always been the annyoing, giddy fangirl that he'd left behind. But he saw the differences in their full glory now. But he wanted to know_ why. Why _was he even _thinking_ about her? _Why _did he care if another guy wanted to date her? _Why _was he allowing himself to be affected like this?

He had no answers but he knew that he wasn't interested in her. Like he'd said before she was just a teammate who annoyed him more than she should. She had just been a fangirl. He didn't care about her that way. He _couldn't_ care about her that way. Uchiha's didn't really care too much about personal things like love. It wasn't like them.

He settled for just blaming the stress of everything that had happened lately. He was just stressed. His strange way of acting lately was just because he was tense and everything had happened so suddenly in one short time period. It had _nothing_ to do with her. But in the back of his mind, he knew that Uchiha's had a habit of lying. Lying to themselves was no exception.

Sasuke stood up and was just about to put his cup away and leave the compound and these annoying ponderings behind when the thoughts of fangirls once again invaded his thoughts. Only this time he was thinking of anothed fangirl. He'd forgotten that _that _day was quickly approaching. It couldn't be _that _'d been dreading that day for month's now, a couple years even.

The young sharingan user rushed to the small, plain and simple calendar he kept in his kitchen to remember important dates. He snarled.

It was _that _day.

Sasuke suddenly wanted to thrust a Katana into his gut and be done with it. Today promised to be one of the most horrendous days in history for him.

***

Sakura made her way down towards the training grounds, with a bounce in her step. She still wasn't allowed to train due to Tsunade's persistance that she wait a few more days, but she figured she could watch the others train and catch up on her reading.

The use of her chakra was forbidden due to how badly she'd strained herself before so she couldn't even practice any jutsus from the text books. The boredom was killing her. She knew that staying in her home would drive her completely over the edge of sanity so she opted to come watch her boys tear each other apart.

Once again, she put some serious effort into how she dressed, as it made her feel much of more confidant and she knew it bothered the Uchiha for some unknown and incomprehensible reason. She noticed the glances she was getting again and fought against a smirk. Things were going her way today.

As she appraoched she was practicing in her mind on exactly how she'd greet them all, one in specific.

_'Hello Sasuke. Hey Sasuke. Hi Sasuke. Suck it Sasuke!' _

But as she got closer she noticed that the pinnacle of her plan was missing in action.

"Hey Hag. Still Chakra less I see." Sai said to her with his fake smile plastered across his face.

"Shut it Sai. Don't forget who your healer is." She growled the last part under her breath.

"Sakura-chan! You come to watch me beat fake face here?" His greeting was shouted at her from far away, but with Naruto's voice, it was crystal clear.

"You know it Naruto!" She called out with a playful look in Sai's direction, which let him know that she was just kidding around.

She almost wanted to laugh at her team's relationship with their newest member. It was amazing to observe the varied reactions to him. Sai still had the capability of completely flustering and angering the blonde. No matter what they had been through and the fact that she knew Naruto considered Sai a friend, Sai could still get on the boy's nerves.

It was obvious that Sasuke and the man had a...strained relationship. Sai had replaced him in the team and was constantly making jibes about his "emoness" and "ass hair".

For some reason she had a strange suspicion that Kakashi had a wierd soft spot for the artist. Even though Sai was new to the team and Kakashi hadn't had the chance to really get to work with him very much until later on, they got along quite well. Kakashi didn't mind his insults and seemed to find Naruto's discomfort amusing. She had often found him chuckling at Naruto's frustration caused by the former Root member.

She herself knew she liked Sai and that insults aside, they were sort of friends. They had been through some tough missions and had gotten through them, which showed her that Sai could be trusted. It didn't change the fact that his face often had a few choice bruises thanks to his sharp tongue.

She went over to her sensei and teammate with a slight furrow in her brow.

"Hey Kakashi-sensei. Where's Sasuke?" She enquired. It wasn't like him to be late for training and absent was simply unthinkable, except when he was on a mission. Kakashi raised an eyebrow when she asked.

"You mean you forgot too? Sasuke came by earlier and told me he wouldn't be at training until later because of what day it was."

Sakura was puzzled. "Day? What day?" Kakashi raised his eyebrows expectantly, waiting for her to figure it out by herself.

She thought for a minute before images of the day Sasuke came home to Konoha after years of being away came back to her. There had been tears, slapping, grunts, screams, hugs, crowds... and three other people that had come along with him. One in particular stood out. Red hair, dark glasses, freakishly loud voice, annoying personality, big boobs. There was no way to forget about her...at least until now.

Sasuke had gotten almost entirely off the hook when he'd returned (something many of the villagers resented him and the Hokage for) because of the fact that he'd killed two of the villages biggest threats (after joining them that is). His companions however had done no such deed and ultamitely had to pay the price. They had been convicted for the past couple years. Today, they were being released.

"Oh. Oh! Oh god no." Sakura groaned. The desire to shoot herself was becoming increasingly frequent lately, but right at this moment it was at it's strongest.

"So I'm guessing he went to go meet them?" She asked.

"You're guess is as good as mine." Kakashi supplied. Obviously Sasuke hadn't wasted time filling anyone in on this little development.

She was about to ask when he'd be back when her thoughts were interuppted by an unbelievably loud squeal.

"Oh Sasuke-kuuun!" Her questions were answered as a party of four made their way towards the group. Sasuke was there with the red haired chick latched so tightly onto his arm she was sure that his hand was losing circulation. Behind them stood two other males.

One was about the same size as the Uchiha with silver-white hair and razor sharp teeth who was carrying the sword of Zabuza on his back, while the other was enourmous with bright orange hair, both of whom who's name she'd forgotten. However she remembered their faces and vaguely remembered their personaltities.

The shark-like one was exuberant and quite forward, while the taller one was quiet and withdrawn. She could remember the first time she'd met them. She'd almost lost her life. The orange haired man's body had erupted in the curse mark in the hospital while she was treating him. No one had known how to calm him down. The man had literally slammed her to a wall with his hands and had been strangling her before Sasuke had been informed and had put a stop to it.

"Ah. Hello there." Kakahi greeted. The rest of them were all staring at team Hebi. Sasuke meanwhile was looking at Sakura. She had dressed differently again. It was the first thing he'd noticed. She, once again, looked..._decent. _

"Sasuke-kuuun. Do we really have to be here? You could leave Suigetsu and Juugo to train and we could maybe just go back to your house and....oh I don't know. Ne Sasuke-_kuuuun_?" She asked while pressing herself, if possible, closer to his arm. He answered her by wordlessly pulling his arm out of her grasp and glaring at her before turning away.

Sakura giggled quietly at his dismissal of her crude request. She was silenced by the purely evil look at whats-her-face shot her.

"And who're you bitch? Who do you think you are? I wouldn't be laughing you whore! Who _is _this anyways?!" She yelled. Sakura's eyes widened and she didn't know whether to punch her lights out or burst out laughing. Why on earth was this girl being so defensive?

_'I vote we punch her face in and __**then**__ laugh."_ Her inner supplied. Sakura blinked. It had been a while since she'd listened to her inner self. She'd just been too busy to get all caught up in her thoughts.

"Karin." Sasuke warned. He gut jerked when Karin had called her a whore and he wasn't about to heacbr such crap coming from her mouth.

"No. No it's okay Sasuke-" Sakura offered. She stopped herself abruptly from adding her little honorific. "I think I'd better just go. I can't even train today, and with so many people here, I'll just get in the way. I might just go take a walk or hang out with Ino or something. Don't worry about your little girlfriend here."

Sasuke shot her the darkest glare she'd ever recieved from him.

"Damn straight Pinky." Karin gushed while clinging, once again, to Sasuke's arm. Sasuke could feel his eyes widen a fraction at the way she'd addressed him. Sasuke? Just Sasuke. It was unthinkable. For as long as he'd known her she'd added the once dreaded "kun" at the end. It was her way of showing him she cared about him.

After he'd betrayed them and join the snake sannin, everytime they confronted each other, the "kun" was always present.

Even after he'd come back. She'd been angry. Furious even. She's cried and yelled and hit, but no matter how angry she was...The "kun" always followed his name. And now she'd just dropped it as though it was nothing. Maybe it was just a once in a lifetime thing. He'd hear it again.

"So I'll see you guys later mm'kay? Bye Kakashi-sensei, Sai, Naruto, Hebi," She said, nodding at the three members, "Sasuke." There it was again! Sasuke's eyes were wide and he was staring at her. Something was wrong with her. She was sick, she was insane she was dying. The corners of his mouths were pointed downwards into a frown. By then all her old team members who knew about her suffix for him were shocked. When it came to Sakura, Sasuke and the kun went hand in hand. She waved casually and turned to leave.

Sasuke was too shocked to speak at the moment. He watched her go, before his thoughts were broken by the mindless complaining of his red haired teammate.

"Prison was really awful Sasuke-kun. They really don't know how to treat ladies in there."

"Ladies? I don't see any ladies here. The cutie just _left_ Karin." Suigetsu informed her. Naruto burst out laughing at Suigetsu's joke.

"Shut the hell up Suigetsu! Unless you want my fist in your face."

"So ladylike." He muttered in between sniggers. The chuckles from Naruto multiplied.

"Suigetsu!"

Kakashi decided to speak up, before things got out of hand. Dealing with a bunch of fighting kids was not his idea of a good day.

"Well, considering the occaison, why don't we call it a day. It doesn't look like we'll be training much, and taking in the fact that training is probably the last thing you members of Hebi want to do your first day out I think team seven should just meet up tomorrow...so have fun kids." He said with a wave.

Suigetsu spoke up, with a new gleam in his eyes. "Actually, I've been dying to cut something up. Training sounds-"

Almost everyone present sweatdropped. Kakashi had already left.

Naruto was fuming. "That lazy little--!"

***

Sakura made her way through the park with a slight frown gracing her features. Hebi. His new team. She'd often wondered whether his bonds with them were stronger than the bonds he'd severed with them.

And now they were here and she couldn't help worry that Sasuke would now ignore them. All that she and Naruto had worked towards. She'd worked hard to become his friend once more. All she had was put into building up her bonds with the Uchiha, and they were in danger of being wiped away. _Again. _

The pink haired woman had always wondered if he'd going tired of a structured life in Konoha once more, and if once his team released, he'd leave with them again to continue whatever it had been he was doing with them. He had left before. Nothing was holding him back from doing it again.

She didn't think she could stand it if he deserted them again. Which team was he going to choose? Was he going to stay with her and Naruto and everything they had before he left and everything they'd created when he came back again..? Or was he going to leave with Hebi, his new team, the team he'd created himself and had traveled with for years?

She couldn't help but count on him leaving. She looked at Karin and felt disgusted with herself. The Red head was much more womanly than she was that was for sure. She had curves and a chest. She'd seen more of the world and she had nothing to tie her down. She'd be free to leave if that were what the Uchiha wanted. She must have had some sort of talent for the stoic nin to ask her to join him.

He'd never asked Sakura to join the team. He'd never asked Naruto to join. They'd been placed together against his will, and he'd never let her forget how much he disliked being on her team. One team he was willing to be a part of, while the other one he'd chosen to leave.

She just didn't know what to think.

_'You are __**supposed**__ to be getting over him.'_ Her inner reminded her. '_Why do you care so much? If he leaves, he leaves. There's nothing we can do about it and there is no reason to worry.' _

She could see a young man making his way towards her. She'd been forced to turn down several guys today. She may have liked looking nice, but it was exhausting to have to stop in her tracks to listen to another set of corny pickup lines. She'd heard practically every line out there and she was pretty sure half of these guys were making them up as they went along.

He'd already approached and she could tell he was preparing himself to ask her out on a adte when she once again felt the ominous presence behind her. Sasuke glared the boy down until he was running away with his tail between his legs.

"Sakura." He acknowledged as though she were the one to come to him. "Sasuke- Hey Sasuke. What are you doing here?"

He didn't give her an answer. He just walked beside her. He was getting just a little bit angry. This was not right. She was supposed to be acting like her usual self and calling him what she usually called him. Not _Sasuke. _It didn't sound right; it _wasn't _right. The man was on a mission to find out why she was calling him by his name. He fought the urge to shake his head...That sounded ridiculous.

Sakura didn't know what to think. What was he doing? She could quite wrap her head around it.

He glanced at her quickly as they walked together. He felt calm with her right at this moment. She didn't seem hostile, so he knew that she wasn't still terribly angry with him over their little spat the other day.

She didn't seem like it was all some kind of joke. She seemed normal, aside from the obvious flaw that had him here in the first place.

He hoped it wasn't because of what he'd told her in the hospital. He hadn't meant it. She was a good Kunoichi and she'd come far. Even he could admit that to himself. She wasn't normally one to hold a grudge either so he'd just assumed that she'd gotten over it and understood that he had just been angry at the time.

Sakura, meanwhile, was still wondering why he was here. To miss training was like not eating for a month to the man.

"Sasuke." _'Without the kun'_ "I'm really racking my brains here. Why are you_ here_ and not with your _precious_ team?" She asked.

"Hn. That's the last place I want to be." He replied bitterly.

Sakura raised her eyebrows. "Why's that?"

"Sasuke-kuuuuun!" They heard her before they saw her.

"Oh. I see." Sakura chuckled.

Karin walked up to them swaying her hips back and forth in some weird, twisted attempt to be sexy.

"Sasuke-kun." She whined. "I've been looking all over for you. Suigetsu's been driving me insane and Juugo's been acting kind of ansy. You might want to check up on him so he doesn't blow a fuse and kill some idiot-. Sasuke-kun. What are you doing here with _Pinky." _

He chose to ignore her, and just glared down at the ground. Sakura's fist was itching to connect with her face.

"You shouldn't be wasting you're time with her. We're you're teammates Sasuke-kun." Sakura growled. Did she even know the meaning of team? She glanced at Sasuke who's hands were balled into fists at his sides. She felt mildly sorry for him. Everytime she heard Karin say his name she wanted to throw up. She couldn't even imagine what it must have been like for him. And to travel with her for _years._

Sakura was surprised he hadn't thrust a katana in his gut and been done with it.

"Sasuke-kuun. Do you want to come see my room in our apartment? I'd be-"

"I didn't mean what I said." Sasuke suddenly told Sakura. She widened her eyes and cocked her head to the side.

"What did you say?" She asked.

"Sasuke-kun! I was trying to ask you to-"

"Silence Karin. I said That ....I didn't mean it. At the hospital." He spoke quickly. It was difficult for him to admit it. Uchiha's were cool. They weren't normally the one's to apologize, and yet here he was practically..._almost_ saying he was wrong.

Sakura could feel a smile tugging in the corners of her mouth. In Sasuke's language, that could almost qualify as a sorry. It was unheard of. She didn't recognize this version of Sasuke. He was so foreign to her, but she couldn't say it displeased her. After the crappy and uneventful day she'd had, her afternoon now seemed so much brighter. Everything about it felt better.

"Thank you Sasuke." She said with a smile that basically did the same thing for the Uchiha. At least he knew she wasn't mad at him. Still...Something was off when she called him that.

"Sasuke-kun! Could someone please explain to me what's going on?" Karin demanded with a stamp of her foot.

Sakura tore her eyes away from her companion and stared at the girl; she'd almost forgotten she was there.

"What..? Oh it's nothing really." She reached into her pocket, inconspicously, as she spoke. She groped around finding something small. She found a coin and held back a smirk.

"It was just something that happened- oh oops!" Sakura cut herself off by pulling the coin from her pocket and dropping it to the ground. She bent over to pick it up and as she did so, she thrust a chakra enhanced finger roughly into the earth which caused a small rumble to course through the ground.

Sasuke, being a trained ninja and used to Sakura's attacks, merely withstood the mini-earthquake and gave her an inquiring look. Karin, however, was shocked by the viberations in the earth and fell to her hands and knees, scraping them in the process.

"Ow! What the hell was that?!" She screamed. "Sasuke-kuuun! You didn't tell me that this godforsaken village got quakes!" She whined.

"Oh would you look at that," Sakura remarked sweetly, sugar lacing her tone. She was doing one hell of a job channeling the nurse from the hospital that had treated her. "You've hurt yourself! Come over here with me and I'll just heal those up. You _go on ahead_ Sasuke." She said, emphasizing certain words.

He'd shown her kindness once again and had stepped out of his comfort zone to try and succeed in making her feel better. She in return could give him a moment's peace. Healing her knees and hands would take Sauke all of three seconds, but that would be enough time for the Uchiha to escape. She was aware that Karin had skill in tracking Chakra patterns, but she also knew that Sasuke was skilled in masking his, giving him a good hour of silence.

He quickly nodded his head and as the pair of girls turned around, he disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Sakura lead Karin to a bench and absent mindedly healed her minor scrapes, all while drowning out her annoying voice and complaints of "Sasuke-kuuuun" leaving her here injured. She smiled softly as she replayed his words in her mind over and over again.

After today and meeting Karin again, she knew that she'd never call him "Sasuke-kun" if she could help it. She could tell that Karin's constant calling annoyed him and the last thing she really deeply wanted to do was annoy him even further. That was just cruel.

She'd been a fangirl once, and as she watched one from another point of view, she couldn't help feeling a bit ashamed of herself.

_'Did I really act like **her?**" _

Sasuke had shown her once again that he was a good friend. He had no idea how much those few little words meant to her. She'd return the favour and stop calling him by some meaningless pet name. She didn't want him to suffer doubly now.

_'Step six: Complete.'_

_*** _

To Be Continued

**A/N: So theeeere it is. It has probably been the most "SasuSaku" Chapter so far...I hope you're all still awake. XD I'm actually really pumped to start writing the next chappy. I might start tonight even! I swear to you that it'll be good :D This chapter was iffy and a bit...*whispers* boring, but the next one will have something big happen in it. Oooohh! Suspense! It'll be my way of redeeming myself :D **

**Please review!! I'm plotting evil and intense things I'm my mind for the next few chappies, but I'm going need just a _little_ bit of motivation! *wink wink* So take three extra seconds to tell me what you think and it might equal three extra pages on word, filled with good stuff ^^ Hope you liked it! BYE GUYS!! **

**By the way, I just wanted to say how much I love you all! I was worried about the last chapter, but all you reviewers made me smile! I love hearing from you! I swear! The nicest people in the world must the one's from ! Cookies and hugs for everyone! -Flies in airplane and drops chocolate chip cookies amongst all of you***


	8. Believe

**A/N: WHOA! Sorry for the short wait but to be fair this is by far the longest thing I've ever written! It's setting up for the next chappy so a lot of stuff happens here! It's so long!! Again I know the wait was longer but I've just been so incredibly busy. On Thursday I had a tech thing where I did the sound for one girl's play. Then on Friday (which is usually when I update) I had a rehearsal for the play I'm Stage managing. Then Yesterday I got to spend around five hours at school building cues for the same play. Craziness! But here it is! I spent a while writing this today so hopefully *crosses fingers* you guys like it! **

**I've checked for typos, but there may be a few in there somewhere. Sorry about that! My word is in the process of fixing itself so just be patient for me k? Please review!! And just so you don't forget: I love all of you guys who read my fics! *hugs* **

**Prepare yourself for the most bastard-y Sasuke yet!! Honestly!! He takes the term "Jerk" To a whole new level in this chappy folks! **

**Oh! And before I forget! I just want to warn some readers that later on in the chapter there are a few f-bombs. I tried to avoid them throughout the story but it seemed fitting this time. So just be aware. **

_Disclaimer:I'm just going to come right out and say it. I don't own Naruto! *shocked gasps* I know! I know you all figured I was a complete and utter god who created the best thing in the world, but that's not me! THAT'S MASASHI KISHIMOTO!!! _

The Road To Recovery

_During sparring sessions, never let him beat you.__ This may seem difficult considering the fact that he is without a doubt one of the strongest ninja's in the village. But I do not necessarily mean beating you as in defeating you in the battlefield. After every match, his comments of you being "annoying" and "weak" constantly get you down. No more! Instead, leave him no excuse to call you weak. Go at him with everything you've got. And his remarks of your annoyance will not beat you down! If he calls you such, simply brush it off and walk away. There is no reason for you to take his comments to heart anymore. You. Are. Getting. Over. Him. _

***

For the next few days Sakura kept up her resolve to call him "Sasuke" without her little suffix. She was pleased to say it wasn't very hard at all. She was worried that it would be difficult considering the fact that the Uchiha was the _Uchiha_ and she'd called him with the suffix for...forever. However she was actually enjoying it.

It was strange but it had become her own personal game to call him by his name and only his name and to watch the reaction. Sasuke was always cold, with a hard exterior. His facial expression never broke, but recently, she was pleased to note, she'd been eliciting small, tiny almost unnoticable reactions from him.

His eyes narrowed sometimes, his hands sometimes clenched or twitched, his feet shuffled a bit, he looked away as though he didn't care. She, at times, had to cover her mouth to surpress the giggles that would shake her figure.

A few times, she'd accidently let a "kun" slip out here or there and he'd actually scared her. She swore that she'd never seen his eyes widen more than half a millimeter until she'd unintentionally added the suffix, and she was worried he'd snap his neck considering how fast he'd turned his head. It was as though he was just waiting for her to slip up so he could give her the "Aha! I knew you couldn't help it..." glance.

Then she'd correct herself quickly, as the list had said and he'd revert back to emotionless (and very nearly _dejected) _Sasuke.

She was surprised though. She'd always assumed that her name for him was just an annoyance. Sakura figured he'd be happy that she'd given it up, however the evidence that he missed it was very compelling.

_'Ha! The jerk's confused!' _Her inner shouted.

The truth was that she'd forgotten to continue with the steps, because she was having a lot of fun with this one. But she knew she had to get a move made a mental note to check her list later. Right now, she was currently late and in too much of a hurry to pull out the paper slip and read what her step was.

Sakura ran down the streets towards the hospital. If her calculations were correct, she should be able to train today and not have to sit out on the sidelines like she'd been doing for the past week and a half.

Her fingers were literally craving to feel some kind of chakra within them and she couldn't wait to punch something. She wanted to laugh at how violent she sounded.

As she entered the hospital, she was already planning her fighting techniques.

"Tsunade-shishou!" Sakura beamed as she approached the older woman.

"Sakura. What is it?"" The woman asked exasperated. She didn't really need to ask though; she knew exactly what her student wanted. It had only been two weeks and the girl was already bouncing at the chance to train. Honestly, she may have been excited but she didn't have to yell, the woman comtemplated with an eye roll.

_'Doesn't she know that this is a **hospital?'**_ The Hokage wondered.

"Do you remember what day it is today...?" Sakura hinted while leaning forward on the balls of her feet.

"Tuesday?..." Tsunade countered.

"_Shishou!" _Sakura whined.

_'Juvenile? Yes. Necessary? Without a doubt.' _

"Yes Sakura. I know what day it is. I'm assuming you want to go take out your chakra on your team?" Tsunade caved. She knew what it was like to be cooped up without the opportunity to practice.

The girl smiled sheepishly and clasped her hands behind her back.

"So does that mean I can?" Sakura continued her interrogation on the woman. Training was the only thing on her mind at the moment and there was no way she'd stop without getting an affirmative from her teacher.

After giving her student a look down her nose, Tsunade sighed and waved her off.

"_Go. _Give the brat a nose bleed for me would'ya?"

Sakura tilted her head back and laughed loudly and giddily. "I will! Thank you shishou!" Seconds and one quick wave later she was already gone.

***

Sakura bolted home and quickly sprinted in her room.

_'Training gear...Training gear...Oh damnit! Where is it?!' _To say she was rushing was an understatement. She was way too eager for her own good.

"Ha! There you are!" She exclaimed in a sing-song voice as she pulled out her usual ninja outfit. Strapping on her weapon's pouch, she figured she might as well check what her next step was. It couldn't hurt. Now that she'd be training, she would be able to continue on her little journey to an obsession-free life and come closer to moving on.

"Never let him beat you... Hm." That sounded easy enough. To be honest, Sakura figured she be sailing through from now on. And especially today, she could not have asked for a better step. She'd been waiting for today for about a week and there was no way the Uchiha was going to bring her down.

She tossed the list back in haphazardly and skipped down the stairs of her apartment. She stood on the curb thinking about her day. She was determined to have a good day today. The week had been unbearable, watching her teammates free to do whatever they wanted and forced to sit on the sidelines with _Karin _who refused to train with Konoha nin, so instead choose to sit and watch her precious Sasuke-kun.

Sakura had been ready to kill her right then and there.

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Sakura smiled and enfused chakra into her feet and sprinted to the bridge. It had really been too long.

***

"Sakura-chan!! You're training now?!" Naruto shouted as he saw her race towards the group.

Sakura beamed and nodded her head when she got there. "Yup! So be ready fox boy!"

Naruto's smile matched hers in size as he put his arm over her shoulders.

"Oh I _am_ Sakura-chan, but I've already promised teme a broken nose, so you'll just have to wait."

The Uchiha scoffed at this and turned his head away. "Dobe." He muttered under his breath.

"What'd you call me Teme?!"

Sakura simply tilted her head back and laughed. She was in an amazing mood. She'd missed being a part of this banter in their team. She looked over the bridge and saw Sai sitting on the railing sketching something. Sasuke's teammates Suigetsu and Juugo were standing behind the Uchiha. She tried to ignore the eerie smile the silver haired man was sending her way. Karin was, as usual, latched onto Sasuke.

There was only one person missing.

"Yo."

Saskura smiled as she heard her Sensei arrive. It wasn't as though she hadn't seen her team in a while. It was just that she had only been on the sidelines. Like she was just an extra memeber. Most of the time Karin had just pushed her too far and Sakura had just got up to leave. Therefore today, seeing her team and knowing she'd really be a part of it today, made her excited.

"Kakashi-Sensei. Hi!" She couldn't stop smiling.

"Sakura. You training today?" He asked her

The pinkette nodded quickly.

"Good. I'm glad. We've missed having you around. _All _of us." His eyes crinkled beneath his mask and Sakura knew he was smiling for her. She rolled her eyes at what he was hinting. Sasuke? Miss her? It made her want to laugh.

As it turned out Naruto had insisted on fighting Sasuke, because of some petty argument they'd most likely gotten into the day before and Sai would be leaving on a mission soon so he was gettting in some last minute training with Kakashi. That left Sasuke's two teammates for her to spar with. She knew the silver haired man's techniques and to be honest, she was little hesitant to fight him. Not because of his strength, but because of the look he was giving her.

The other man was still a mystery to her and she was curious about his techniques. He was a little bigger than her though and she still had not forgotten the first time she'd met him.

However, before she could really decided on who she wanted to fight, Juugo, the tall orange haired man bowed and asked to sit out. He gave her a long look in the eyes and Sakura knew that he was still trying to apologize for what he'd done that day. He seemed shy and she was curious about him.

Still, she knew who that left.

"Well...It looks like it's me and you, Pinky." He addressed with a wolfish grin. She rolled her eyes at the nickname and wondered if he was really as womanizing as he was coming off to be.

_'Probably.' _She thought to herself. She didn't want to train with this guy. However, he may not have been as bad she thought him to be; she didn't even know the guy.

"Karin, we're leaving to train and _hone our skills_. Don't feel too left out because you don't have any." He called to her over his shoulder as they were leaving. Sakura couldn't help herself from giggling. She didn't notice the Uchiha's head turn at break neck pace at the sound of her laugh though, nor did she notice his fists clench.

"Shut the hell up Suigetsu!" They heard her yell back, a few seconds later, from the side as though it had taken her a minute to process everything he'd said.

_'Right! Suigetsu!' _Funny, no matter how many times she must have heard Karin shout at him. She couldn't remember his name. Based on his personality, when he wasn't looking at her as though she were some piece of meat, she might actually enjoy his company. She was still in too bright a mood that she couldn't be brought down. Not even by some shark boy with a giant sword and a creepy smile.

Together they made their way to the training field and Sakura positioned herself in her fighting stance, raising her fists. The guy was funny, and outgoing and seemed like he could be fun to have around, but that didn't stop her fists from aching to punch something.

"So you got your chakra back then? How long do you think you'll last then? Five minutes?" He asked her with a smirk. Apparently he was underestimating her. She just couldn't get a good read on him. Could she really get along with him? Or was he just an idiot twenty-four seven?

She grinned in response to his question and surged her chakra a little bit showing him that she was ready. She would play up to his ego and let him underestimate her all he wanted. Once he let his guard down though...

Suigetsu smiled and unsheathed his sword. Sakura ran at him all of a sudden with about half her speed. She knew he hadn't caught onto her little plan because she saw his smile widen. He dodged her fist and turned around so the he was behind her. He swung his sword and slashed at her arm. Sakura bit her lip.

_'Damn that hurt!'_ Her inner shouted. Still she knew it would pay off if she waited before going at him. She wouldn't even heal it. He had no idea what she could do and she planned on keeping it that way a bit longer.

A trail of blood made it's way down her arm and dripped off her fingers.

"Is that it Pinky? I was expecting a bit more." Suigetsu commented. Sakura simply turned around and ignored what he said.

She charged at him quickly with two kunai clenched tightly in her hands. Suigetsu, once again swung towards her, but she managed to hold off the blade with her weapons and dodge. She spun around and half heartedly tried to swipe at his torso with them. However, the sharp-toothed man smirked at her and grabbed her arm and twisted. She winced as his fingers landed on her cut.

Sakura wasn't in too much pain but she still wanted him to expect less of her so she allowed a cry to escape her lips.

Across from them, the black haired ninja heard her and hesitated in mid attack to look around at his teammate and Sakura, only to find her in a locked grip. His fingers were itching to incinerate his old companion with flames, if it would take his hands off the girl.

Still, he was a bit busy with his blond haired friend.

Sakura swung her leg around and mananged to throw the other nin off a bit before she bolted into the trees away from him. From her place in the trees she could see the man smile and thrust his sword into the ground. He leaned onto it and looked around slowly. Sakura smiled smugly. Now was her chance.

Suigetsu swore loudly as he was suddenly overcome by a storm of kunai and senbon. Suddenly he saw the pink haired girl jump from the trees towards the ground. Sakura's fist was positioned downward and she was aiming for the ground.

Suigetsu suddenly wished he hadn't taken her so lightly, as her hand collided with the ground, causing a huge eruption of stones and earth to shoot skywards. The quake nearly knocked him off his feet and he had to quickly grab his sword to stay up.

"Shit! Where the hell did that come from?!" He yelled. He could no longer see more than a few feet ahead of him and his eyes were squinting through the dust.

Sakura nearly laughed. As the dust cleared she quickly filled her hands with healing chakra and healed the cut that he'd given to her. She charged him, now at full speed. This time, it was his eyes that widened at not his smile. That was non existant now.

He prepared to catch her fist, afraid of what it would do to his hand. But Sakura whipped around quickly and switched to his other side and landed a beautiful shot to the side of his face.

Her eyes widened at what happened. His jaw, where she'd hit him, turned to liquid.

"Augh!"

She grimaced and pulled her hand back lighting fast. His face reappeared and he grinned.

"I guess we both should have been expecting a bit more."

Sakura laughed under her breath. He had a point. She backflipped away from him and prepared herself to attack again. She'd just keep going until the man exhausted himself.

He pulled out his weapon and prepared to slice the girl apart. Not literally of course.

Sakura sprinted as fast as she could around him so that she was in the trees behind him. He turned around just in time to see a tree flying toward him.

"Argh. What the-" He didn't have time to finish his sentence as another tree flew towards him. E slashed at it and cause it to splinter. He was force to do this several times before the shower of plants stopped. Sakura giggle slightly at the look on his face.

She jumped into the branches of one of the unharmed trees surrounding her. The man looked up in time to see the girl flying through the air towards him. Suigetsu positioned his sword so that he was able to catch her offguard on her way back to the ground. He threw his sword upwards and sliced through the girls stomach.

The person he'd just hit burst into a puff of smoke.

"A clone eh?" He panted out. He was lazy and this much fighting was starting to wear down on him. He wished he could just cut her to pieces and be done with it. But she was cute and he didn't really want to ruin such a goodlooking woman.

Sakura jumped from the branches was he brought his sword back towards his body from his last attack. She managed, once again, to land a nice kick to his chest, but she shivered at the horrible feeling of his entire body turning to liquid. He re-materialized at her feet and looked upwards.

Being under her skirt, he got a pretty lovely view. It took the woman a moment before she realized what he was doing. She shrieked loudly and tried to step on his face. Suigetsu just laughed.

Once again, Sasuke's attention was diverted towards the other fight going on near them. He growled quietly at what he saw.

Suigetsu's body was reformed quickly and he was met face to face with a slap. Sakura put all she had into it before stalking off. Suigetsu chuckled at her huffiness and slapped her butt as she walked away _just_ to bother her, earning him yet another blow to the face.

Sasuke didn't miss any of this. Why the hell was she being so weak and allowing him to take advantage? She could have beaten him and avoided his perverted glance, but no. She'd been too weak to defeat him and now he was looking up her freaking skirt.

Sasuke didn't know why, but he was angry and as he geared up to send a barage of flames towards Naruto, he was caught off guard by the fox vessel and was pushed by one of of the blondes clones. Instead of the fire hitting their intended target, they were sent towards the swordsman.

Everything that went down next, happened too fast for Sakura to register everything in time. She saw the flames heading towards her fighting partener before he did. She jumped towards the man and pushed him quickly out of harm's way. She then tried to move herself out of harm's way. However her left leg and arm were still in the blast.

She screamed as her limbs were filled with an indescribable pain. Tears filled her eyes was she was burned.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto yelled as he saw the flames intended for him, engulf her.

Sasuke growled. How the hell had he let that happen?! He sped toward her and grabbed her out of fire and carried her farther away. He set her down on the ground and growled. Sakura could feel tears in her eyes. The pain was just too much for her.

Sasuke knew that she wouldn't be able to heal herself. The damage had been horrific. Blisters covered the left half of her body and her skin was a bright shade of red. The Uchiha picked her up as gently as he could and bolted towards the hospital, Suigetsu and Naruto not far behind him. Behind him, he could hear Karin shouting for him to wait up and then her call out to Kakashi and Sai. At least her voice was good for something.

As he entered the hospital he strode down the hallway looking for Tsunade. Naruto shouted for her and bit farther back.

"Baa-chan! Come quickly!"

The woman came out of one of the rooms looking murderous. Didn't anyone understand that this was a _hospital. _But she sobered up as soon as she noticed her pupil badly injured in the Uchiha's arms.

"What the hell happened?!" She exclaimed as she looked over her burns. She lead them down a hallway into an examination room and motioned for Sasuke to place the girl onto the table. Naruto spoke up.

"Their was an accident during training today baa-chan. She'd normally be able to heal herself, but the burns were just too bad so we brought her here. We were so scar-"

"Save it Naruto. Just get on to what happened!" She snapped while she ran her hands gently over the burned skin.

"Sasuke sent a Katon jutsu towards me, but he seemed a bit distracted and one of my clones hit him. The flames were sent towards Suigetsu here," He gestured behind him at the swordsman, "instead of me. Sakura pushed this guy out of the way, but she..." He trailed off.

Tsunade ushered the boys out of the room before she slammed the door an went back to healing her student.

"_Men._"

***

By the time Tsunade was finished, Sakua's entire team was waiting outside. They knew she'd be okay in the hands of Tsunade, but that didn't stop all three men from the original team seven from pacing around the door. Sai sat on on of the chairs sketching once again with a calm look on his pale features. However if one looked close enough they would have noticed his strokes were a bit more hurried and uneven.

Karin slumped into a chair looking bored and wondering why she had to be there. Juugo sat across from her with a concerned look on his face, while Suigetsu leaned on the wall, his face no longer holding it's usual mischieviousness.

Tsunade exited the room looking tired but not upset.

"Her skin was badly burned, but she should be okay in a few hours. It was just damaged on the surface so it didn't take long to heal. She'll be able to leave the hospital tonight."

Most people in the room breathed out a big sigh of relief with the exception of Sasuke who looked impassive as always and Karin, who simply rolled her eyes. The red head stood and tugged on the Uchiha's arm.

"See? Pinky's fine. Now can we please get out of here? I hate hospitals Sasuke-kun!"

Sasuke didn't reward her whining with an answer. He simply gave her a deadly glare and turned back to the Hokage.

"Shut the _hell _up Karin. If you want to leave, then you can go. _Alone." _Suigetsu growled at her. He was clearly on edge after what had happened. Sakura had pushed him out of the way, and in the end it was her who was seriously injured.

Karin huffed and moved towards the exit, but stopped when she reached the Uchiha heir.

"Bye Sasuke-kuuuun. I'm not going to stay here any longer so I'll see tomorrow...or tonight?" She whispered into his ear, The sound of her voice made the man want to retch. Instead he just turned away from her and walked away towards Sakura's hospital roim with the rest of the men there.

***

Sakura opened her eys and smiled as she saw the group of boys make their way in her hospital room.

"Hey guys." She greeted happily. She was tired and a bit sleepy, but she wasn't upset. She was sure this whole thing was an accident and she was jsut glad it hadn't gone worse.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto yelled as soon as he saw her. He rushed to her side immediately and hugged her softly, which in itself was a huge indicator to how worried he'd been. Normally he'd just crush her, but this time he hugged her softly.

"Hey Nartuto!" Sakura smiled. She really felt fine. Earlier had been excurciatingly painful. It was as though all her skin had been ripped off. But after her master had looked over her, she felt back to normal. Though she was a bit less energetic as she'd been in the morning.

"How are you?! Jeez Sakura-chan! We were so worried! I'm so sorry for what happened." At this, he hung his head. "Those flames were meant for me, not you."

Suigetsu spoke up at this. "I'm sorry as hell too Pinky. If it hadn't have been for you, it would have been me in your place right now. Thanks." He spoke. He was certainly less lively than before.

"Now now, guys. Lets not get over sentimental. Sakura, how are you feeling?" Kakashi voiced. He moved towards her and he too hugged her.

"I'm _fine _guys. Goodness. You're all making it seem as though I avoid death by an inch. They were burns, which are easily healed. Calm down all of you!" She laughed. She sat up in the bed and looked them all over.

"Well, I'm glad our little cherry blossom wasn't hurt too badly." Kakashi said with his eyes crinkled.

Both Naruto and Suigetsu nodded firmly.

Sakura just smiled softly and allowed herself to sink back into her pillows and rest.

The group stayed for a while and just talked with her. She'd even gotten a few words out of Juugo which made her feel a bit better. She noticed that Karin wasn't there and she couldn't say she was entirely heartbroken. At least when she left, it wouldn't be with a headache.

Suddenly the group heard a soft knock and the heads all turned to find a shy looking woman with dark, silky hair and lavender eyes.

"S-sorry to b-bother you, b-b-ut I-I just-just want-ted to..to s-see Sa-sakura-chan."

Sakura smiled as she watched one of her best friends come to see her. She hadn't seen Hinata in a while so it was nice to get to talk with her. She worked at the hospital and was most likely just dropping in after her shift. Sakura wanted to hug the girl. Since she'd become a bit older and more confidant, she'd mostly gotten rid of her stutter, but now that she was surrounded by a large group of people, it had once again made it's appearence. Her smile grew as she watched her blonde-haired friend's eyes light up at the girl's entrance.

"_Hello_ there." Suigetsu greeted her smoothly by stepping in front of the blonde.

"H-h-h-hello." She said back.

"Watch it buddy!" Naruto yelled and hit him square in the back of the head. Suigetsu's head once again dissolved into a liquid and he moved out of the way. He waved over his shoulder with a chuckle and motioned for Juugo to follow him.

"That'll be my cue to leave. We'll see you later Pinky." He called out as they left.

"Hina-chan!" Naurot continued, while pulling the shy and brightly blushing girl into a hug.

Hinata moved around her boyfriend and towards the pinkette.

"I hope you're feeling better Sakura-chan...I saw them bring you in earlier and I was worried about you."

"Thanks Hinata-chan. Don't worry though. I'm fine!" She laughed.

Hinata nodded and after a few more minutes of chatting with her friend, together her and Naruto left for the Hyuuga house.

Soon after Kakashi and Sai left as well and it was just Sasuke and her left. The Uchiha had been leaning against the back wall the entire time without saying a word. He pushed himself off the wall and walked to the foot of the bed.

He was angry. He was angry at Suigetsu for acting like a perverted idiot. He was angry at Naruto for pushing him at the wrong moment. He was angry at Tsunade for allowin gher to train today of all days. He was angry at Sakura for being _weak_. She'd allowed herself to be the victim of some jackass' perverted ways, she'd jumped in front of the flames to save him, she wasn't able to heal herself after she'd been injured.

But he was especially angry at himself for hurting her. However, she would never know about his inner torture.

He stopped at the foot of the bed and shoved his hands deep intohis pockets. Sakura didn't know what she was expecting. An apology? No. He wasn't really one to say he was sorry. A hug? No. Definitely not. A few words? Possibly. But none of those were what really passed from his lips nor were they what she was expecting

"You were _weak_ today." He spat out. Before he turned on his heel and slowly walked away.

Sakura did not know what came ove rhim. But she could feel her heart clench painfully. She was not weak. And there was no way she'd let some man convince her otherwise. He had just managed to do what no one else could. He had ruined her good mood. She'd been burned, insulted, annoyed, sexually harrassed but she's withstood all of that. But him? He could do it with just four words.

But he would not beat her.

***

The next day, during training, Sakura was back to normal. Alhough she was still furious at the Uchiha and he, for some idiotic reason, was still angry.

She continued to train, and there were no more accidents like before. She was currently working with Kakashi on a new jutsu, while once again. Naruto and Sasuke attempted to destroy each other.

She didn't know if it was just her, but Sasuke seemed to be going at it much harder than he usually did during training. He was leaving Naruto with very few opportunities to defend himself and it looked as though Sakura would be healing many wounds today.

But in the middle of their work, a chuunin arrived at the field and requested their attention.

"Lady Tsunade is requesting that Team seven meet her in the tower. I think she may have a mission for you all. If you could all make your way over there..." She stated with a polite smile.

"YEAH! A mission! It's been so long since we went on a mission!" Naruto shouted as he marched towards the Hokage's tower at a brisk pace.

Sakura rolled her eyes and tried to keep up with him alongside Kakashi, healing his injuries as they walked. Sasuke broodily followed them all with his hands pushed into the depths of his pockets. He was deep in thought and was taking his time catching up with them all.

"Teme! Get your ass in gear!" He heard the idiot shout from up ahead.

He narrowed his eyes and purposely decided to walk as slowly as possible.

***

"I have a mission for your team if you choose to accept it. I want you to make your way to the mist. The village is being threatened by a very powerful business man. We need him eliminated and a scroll brought back to the village that will reveal exactly what he's been planning." Tsunade informed them while looking over her steepled fingers.

Naruto was practically viberated from the excitement he felt. Sakura just crossed her arms from where she stood and focused on that her teacher was telling them.

"Now. He shouldn't be too hard to locate nor should he be hard to get on his own. He is quite the, for lack of a better word, womanizer. He has a very unspecific taste in girls and won't pass up the chance to be with a beautiful girl." She looked pointedly at Sakura at this. The girl shifted uncomfortable at her words. She despised missions like these. Sasuke stiffened at her words. A seduction mission? No way in hell was Sakura going on this. He would let her go and would do anything to stop it.

Suddenly, the Uchiha decided to speak up.

"I don't think Sakura should go." He grumbled quietly.

"What?!" She turned to him and yelled. Who the hell did he think he was.

"I don't believe she should be allowed to come on this mission, Hokage." He repeated unflinchingly.

Sakura was shaking from anger and hurt. She was utterly speechless.

"And why is that Sasuke?" Tsunade asked him with a curious look in her eyes.

"She's just been released from the hospital for serious injuries and chakra depletion and on her first day of training she ended up there again." He stated rationally.

Sakura couldn't believe what she was hearing. It wasn't her fault she'd been brought to the hospital. _Who_ was it that conjured the flames and sent them towards some unsuspecting team member? It wasn't her! She could feel tears of anger filling her eyes as her fists clenched painfully at her sides.

"How dare you Uchiha! I'm capable of doing this mission and you know it! You have no right! No right in hell!" She screamed.

"Is what I said untrue in any way Sakura?" He replied calmly. Sakura was taken back. Technically it wasn't. But he was mangling the truth.

"N-no! But you're twisting it! I wasn't the idiot who shot flames towards some innocent guy's back! Who was that again Sasuke? Remind me!" She shot back. He glared at her and turned back to the Hokage.

"I'm requesting that she not come on this mission. Karin, my teammate, can take her place."

Sakura gasped. He was unbelievable. She let her tears roll down her cheeks. She sent a pleading look towards her sensei. Tsunade looked fed up with their poor team dynamics and she said,

"If that is the _whole _team's decision than so be it, though I think Sakura is perfectly able to accomplish this Sasuke."

"To hell it isn't the whole teams choice! I'm a part of the team too! I want to do this!" She turned sharply towards Kakashi and Naruto. Kakashi stood behind the group, nose in his book. He gave her a look that showed that he was undecided.

Naruto looked extremely torn.

"I think...I don't know. Sakura-chan, you _were_ just in the hospital and...but..." He trailed off with a pleading look towards his friend that was practically his sister.

"No. I get it." She spat at them all before she turned around a stormed out of the office.

***

She watched from the bench as her "team" plus Karin made their way towards the gate and left the village. The day was gloomy and dark. Rain was gently falling from the sky, reflecting the feelings in her heart.

Tears rolled down her face as they left without her, consealed by the rain. They didn't think she could do it. They didn't believe in her. Why wasn't she allowed to go?

It wasn't her fault. It _wasn't _her fault. If it was anyone's fault it was Sasuke's. And yet he was leaving the village with the team as she sat on a cold hard bench, alone.

She saw Naruto turn backwards and as his eyes found her motionless form on the bench. He looked so regretful, so unhappy. If she weren't feeling so broken inside, she might have felt a bit of forgivness for him. He was looking out for her well-being. Naruto was just worried about her.

But as she looked at his sad face, she just felt more upset. So she stood and turned away from him and walked home.

She made her way through the streets of Konoha defeated, towards her apartment to curl up and cry. Then she realized something. He was doing it again. He was trying to beat her down and make her believe that she wasn't good enough.

There was no ay that she'd let him do that. She wasn't going to just curl up and take it. She changed directions towards the Hokage's tower.

***

Tsunade looked upwards as she heard a soft knock on her door.

"Enter!" She called out before turning her attention back to her paperwork.

"Tsunade-sama."

Tsunade looked upwards once again and raised her eyebrows. Tsunade-sama? She never called her that anymore.

"Sakura. You're team's already left if that's-" She started to explain.

"I know." Sakura interjected rapidly.

"Then why are here Sakura?" Tsunade asked softly. She knew student must have been shattered. Her team had pretty much deserted her.

"I'm requesting a solo mission."

***

Two weeks later, team seven made their way slowly towards the village gates. All of them were fed up and tired.

The mission had been successful, but only just. In fact it was practically a disaster.

Sasuke was even debating whether his actions were justifyed, considering what a living hell the mission had been with Karin.

They'd arrived later then anticipated because the woman had insisted on taking a break every hour, claiming that she was too tired to go on, when they all knew that she just wanted an excuse to snuggle up to the Uchiha.

At night she'd tried to convince Sasuke to share a tent with her, to which he'd replied harshly that he'd never sleep near her while he was alive and that he'd rather sleep closer to the green beasts than her. None of them had gotten any sleep that night because of the wails and huffs coming from her tent.

The mission itself was the worst part though. It could even be called a seduction mission. It basically consisted of Karin dress up in the most revealing thing she owned and grinding onto the man in question. However when the businessman had laid a finger on her, instead of going along with it, she'd begun to scream for Sasuke and curse the man, ultimately giving away their position and purpose.

The only reason they'd accomplished the mission was because of Kakashi's quick thinking and Naruto's fists.

The trip back was much like the first only accompanied by much more whining and complaining and the horrid moods they were all in.

"Next time you decided to gang up on Sakura like that, bastard. Keep me out of it." Naruto growled at him once they'd arrived. He made his way directly to the pinkette's house to apologize and try and get her to forgive him.

Kakashi volunteered to deliver the mission report and the scroll after Naruto's departure, which left Sasuke alone with Karin.

"Sasuke-kuuun.." She purred suggestively to him, while grabbing his hand in her own.

"Get out of my sight Karin or live to regret it." He hissed.

Karin furrowed her brows and quickly made her way to the compound. Sasuke noticed a bag back by the entrance to the village that he hadn't seen when they'd come in. He made his way back slowly. Any excuse to stay away from Karin as long as possible.

Before he could bend down to pick it up, though, it was swept up quickly into the arms of the girl he'd left behind once again.

"Sakura." He greeted.

"Sasuke. How was the mission?" She asked, though there was no meaning behind it. She really didn't care how it went. She could care less.

The young man didn't answer and instead looked her over.

"You have a mission." He stated. He didn't need to phrase it as a question, for he knew it to be true.

"Did the traveling gear or the medic pack give it away?" She asked sarcastically before she turned to leave the village.

"Where's your team?" He called out.

"I don't have one." _'Apparently'_ Her inner supplied. "It's a solo mission and I_ really_ need to get going." Sakura replied as though it were a stupid question.

She continued to leave before Sasuke grabbed her arm and pulled her back. "You're not going." He said.

"Oh. I think you'll find I am. And don't you _dare _touch me." She said through clenched teeth, while wrenching her arm harshly from his grasp.

He grabbed it once again and pulled her harsher towards the village again.

"Sakura. You're _not. Going." _He emphasized. If she wasn't going to go with the team, there was no way he'd let her go alone.

"Get the hell away from me Uchiha! Who the hell do you think you are?! I'm done with you! I have a mission that needs to be finished and you're not stopping me from doing it. I _can _do it, no matter what you think. So get the fuck away from me!" She yelled and wrenched her arm away from him again. She took a step away from him and turned to go.

"You're weak. You won't last Sakura." He said in a bored tone.

"Shut the hell up! I'm _not _weak. I hate you Sasuke! I hate you so much. So just leave me the fuck alone! I'm so much stronger than you'll ever know. Stay away from me from now on! I _never _want to see you again! Now let me do my job and _go away._" She began to move outside the gates.

"Hn. Annoying." He spat at he retreating back.

But this time, Sakura did exactly what her list said to do. She just brushed it off, as well as her tears, and walked away from him.

Back in the village Sasuke ran towards the Hokage tower after Sakura was out of sight. He burst though the doors of the office and marched straight towards the fifth.

"Where did you send her?" He demanded.

The Hokage looked up at his harsh tone and raised her eyebrows. "There's a certain way to address the Hokage Uchiha."

"_Where _did you send her?" He repeated. He wasn't screwing around.

"That's confidential Sasuke. I'm not going to tell you that."

Sasuke slammed his fist on the table and moved closer to her. Tsunade was slightly impressed at the reaction this had pulled from the usually emotionless man.

"Where is Sakura going?" He said on final time.

"If you wanted to be a part of her life, then you shouldn't have pushed yourself beyond you bounderies. You had no right to leave her behind. Now Sakura has requested a solo-mission. You're just oging to have to accept that. She can do it Sasuke. Now leave my presence. I'm busy at the moment."

Sasuke growled at her answer and turned around.

"I'm going after her." He stated and left the room.

"So be it." Tsunade said to herself as he made his way to the gates and took off in the direction that Sakura had gone in.

***

As Sakura bolted through the trees towards her destination, she knew that he'd never bring her down again. He may have never believed in her. He could call her weak as much as he wanted to. Because she believed in herself.

She'd meant what she'd told. At this moment, she hated him more than anything in the world. If she completed her mission, then she would be able to face him again and prove herself. If she died or didn't accomplish the objective. Then Sasuke would be forced to live knowing that he'd driven her to do it.

He'd never beat her again.

_'Step Seven: Complete.'_

_***_

_To Be Continued_

**A/N: How was it? I decided that Sasuke was just being to nice to be true. He may have seemed a bit out of character, but meh. It was necessary for what I'm planning on doing in the next chapter. I hope you guys enjoyed it! I know it was long but hey, like I said. Necessary! XD XD Please review you guys! I'd appreciate it like crazy! **

**I can't wait to write the Chapter! I'm looking forward to it like CRAZY! please let me know what you think guys! **


	9. All Wrong

**A/N: HEY! TO START OFF I'D JUST LIKE TO SAY THANK YOU!! "THE ROAD TO RECOVERY" HAS OVER 100 REVIEWS AND IT'S ALL BECAUSE OF YOU GUYS!! THANK YOU SO MUCH! COOKIES FOR EVERYONE!!! **

**Now on with the good stuff. Sorry for the wait but my internet was down and I couldn't post! Ugh this chappy was hard to write. I hope you guys like it. It took me forever!! I tried to make it good for you guys to make up for the long wait. Oh my god. I jsut realized that there are only about five more chapters and "The Road To Recovery" Will be finished! Please review after you read it and let me know what you think...I'm literally waiting anxiously. I'm so nervous to hear what you think! So without any more junk on my end...**

_Disclaimer: If I said that I owned Naruto or Sailor Moon, I'd probably be hunted down and murdered so I'll just stick with the truth. I don't own it! _

The Road To Recovery

_8. Replace Each of his "Hn's" with something else in your mind.__ It can be pretty infuriating when you pour out your heart and soul to this man, and all you get in return is a lousy grunt. Therefore, whenever he deems it fit to reward the conversation with a "Hn" take it upon yourself to (in your mind, for you do not want to seem like a lunatic) replace the grunt with something else. For example: Hn= I'm a pretty girl. Or Hn = I enjoy dancing in my green jumpsuit that I received from Lee and Gai last Christmas, etcetera._

_***_

Sakura ran as fast as she could away from Konoha, her team, Sasuke and her life. At this moment she no longer wanted any part of it. The trees shot past her eyes as she jumped quickly from branch to branch, so much that they were only passing blurs. However to Sakura, it just wasn't fast enough.

She concealed her chakra as she ran. She didn't want Naruto running after her to try and convince her that Sasuke was just being a jerk to her because deep down he _cared. _

Yeah. Right. You had to have a heart and _feelings_ to care about something or someone. Sasuke didn't care, and no matter how many times Naruto or Ino or Kakashi tried to tell her he did, it would never change the fact that he didn't. She didn't want anyone from her team finding her to bring her back.

The pink haired girl didn't want to hear any of it. She was done with the bullshit; tired of Naruto always picking up the slack for that idiot. If he didn't want her on the team, as he'd shown her by demanding she stay behind, then so be it.

Sakura would be her own Kunoichi. She'd train by herself. She'd go on solo missions. She'd become an anbu without anyone else's help. She didn't need them and she'd prove it to all of them. To him.

She brushed away her tears angrily. Why the hell was she crying?! She wasn't supposed to care anymore. She didn't want to care at all! Sakura had spent the last few weeks of her life dedicating time and effort in trying to forget the Uchiha. However, even when he gave her the perfect opportunity to forget about him; to hate him,she still cried and ached deep down.

_'Why?!' _She screamed inside her head.

She stopped running and hit her fist against the tree trunk in her frustration. It just didn't make sense. It wasn't logical to love someone who treated you like dirt.

She turned so that her back was pressed tighly to the rough bark and slid down slowly, tears rolling down her pale cheeks with her eyes shut tight.

Love was based on so many values. Trust, happiness, friendship, loyalty, kindness, nurturing, protection. The list could go on forever filled with the things that the roots of love were planted in. And yet here she was. In love with a man that exhibited none of these things.

Trust? Sure. Sakura could trust him in combat to have her back. But could she trust him with her heart? Never. Because she knew that in his hands, it would be torn apart again and again. An endless cycle. She couldn't trust him to take care of her the way a lover should.

Happiness? This made Sakura want to laugh. Sasuke didn't make her happy. If he did then she wouldn't be here, in the center of a cold, damp forest crying over him. He couldn't lift her spirits with a smile or a laugh. He was filled with darkness and hate and vengance and _arrogance_. Those things had never made her happy and they _never_ would.

Friendship? No. He didn't treat her as a friend. Countless times during the past few weeks she'd thought of him as a friend. He'd walked her home when she'd broken down at the hospital and he'd stopped the rogue nin from killing her. But when it came down to it, friends wanted their friends to be happy and to have a good life. Sasuke just looked out for himself in the long run.

Loyalty? She literally wanted to punch the tree to pieces right then and there. How loyal! "My _teammate_, Karin can take her place..." She mimicked furiously. He could get Karin to replace her during missions. He could replace his old team with a group of Orochimaru's rejects. He could desert his village and leave his friends behind him. He may have had power, but with it he lost the very capabilty to be loyal.

Kindness? She wasn't even to go into this one. There was no way in hell she'd call him kind! No. Way. In. _Hell. _

Nurturing? Of course not. He was a total and complete jackass! Nurturing wasn't even a word in his vocabulary. She wanted to be cared for and loved in a relationship but since Sasuke had never even heard of it or been exposed to it, she would never get her wish. Nurturing came hand in hand with kindness and Sasuke just didn't fit the profile.

Protection? Sakura halted here. The truth was that he had protected her before. From kunai's and jutsu's and evil ninja. But inside he was the person who was destroying her. He was the one she needed to the protected from him.

She leaned back and hit her head over and over against the hard wood of the tree she was sitting in. She'd just admitted to herself that there was no reason for her to love him but no matter what she did to stop, those feelings never went away!

She was just tired of it all. She didn't want to feel this way. Sakura didn't want her life anymore, if it meant being near him.

That's why Sakura picked herself up to her feet and began to run again. Farther and farther away from the life she was tired of.

***

Sasuke growled as he attempted to follow the stubborn girl. She was just too annoying and stupid for her own good.

Why was she insisting on putting herself in danger just to prove a point?

He wished deep inside his soul that he was able to show what was inside of him. It would certainly save him a lot more trouble. He hadn't wanted her to stay behind because he didn't think she could do it. Hell he knew she could do it. She was an acceptable Ninja for sure, and definitely the strongest Kunoichi of the rookie nine.

Especially this mission. He knew she'd be good at it. Too good. It had been a seduction mission. The seduction of a revolting old bastard who would probably assault her. He couldn't have her going with the prospects of her being raped and an illegitamate kid running around. An illegitamate kid _without _black hair and bright green eyes, he thought before he could stop himself.

_'Where the hell did that come from...?' _

He snarled again. He just could not allow her to go and pretend to be interested in another man. It just didn't work for him. He didn't know why but it Did. Not. Work.

His thoughts were soon pulled back to the moment she'd left. She'd yelled at him. He was used to her loud voice. To be honest he knew he bothered her more than he should, but he knew she'd forgive him for whatever it was that he'd done. She had always been dependable in that sense. But this time had been so different.

She'd said she'd hated him. Sakura didn't hate Sasuke. The day Sakura hated Sasuke would be the day hell froze over. But if that were true, why didn't he feel any colder. Sakura just wasn't capable of hating him. Only love. It was only ever love.

Sasuke knew she wasn't the only person to despise his guts right now. At the moment, he was having a pretty tough time in liking himself too. He'd hurt her. Burned her. Scarred her. Pushed her away.

His flames were the ones that had burned her skin. She'd cried, once again because of him. Why was he always the one who hurt her?!

He stopped running and slammed his fist roughly into the tree and growled his frustration. He couldn't find her. She'd hidden her chakra and even he couldn't trace it. It wasn't right. She was supposed to be near him all the time. If she wasn't, he was supposed to at least know where she was. He stood up straight and sped back on his path, determined to find the girl.

Nothing, it seemed, was right anymore.

And it was all because Sakura hated Sasuke.

***

Sakura packed up her things after she'd set up camp. She'd considered checking her list to see the step, just for the sake of habit, but if she was honest herself, she knew she wouldn't be using it this week.

She made sure to mask her chakra again . The dried tears that stained her cheeks, her raw eyes and sore throat served as a reminder of why.

At around noon Sakura found her bearings once more and decided that she'd be arriving in a couple hours. She figured since her trail was hidden as well as her chakra signals, she was free to walk. She faced the sky and found a bright sun staring back at her. The rays warmed her face and motivated her to continue on.

For one brief moment Sakura felt a bit better. The night had allowed her to clear her head and think straight. Her number one focus was her mission's objective. She chose to ignore the presence in her mind that was trying to get her to think over her relationship with the Uchiha.

She wasn't going to waste her time thinking about such a spoiled conceited..._brat! _

She shook her head and began to run again. There was no time to waste. She went over the plan in her head once again. She was sent to assinate a wealthy man named Watanabi Yasuo, who was currently living in a neighbouring village. He had a reputation of being a conceited and egotistical womanizer. According to her missions report, the man often scouted out a beautiful woman and took her back to the room he stayed in, at whatever hotel he was boarding in. Whether the girl was willing or not was irrelevant, cosidering the fact that what this man wanted, he got. No questions asked.

Normally the girl would disappear for a night and emerge the next morning, quiet and skittish. But lately the women he'd been seen with had been disappearing, one of which happened to be a girl from Konoha. The young lady was the daughter of a powerful Konoha business owner who had requested that Tsunade send a top nin to retrieve her. It was of the villages best interest to bring the girl back.

Tsunade had informed her the the mission was an A rank and that she had complete faith that Sakura could accomplish it. Sakura brought her medic pack in case she located the missing women. There was a great chance that they would be injured and frightened.

The mission was specifically assigned to a woman for several reasons. The women, when found, would most likely be afraid and unwilling to approach a man for a while. Also, it would bo much faster for a woman to approach the man, considering it was normal for young ladies to come up to him and throw themselves upon his awaiting lap.

But the greatest reason it was assigned to a woman was simple. The art of seduction. There was no way in hell one of Konoha's men would be able to get Yasuo in bed to assinate him. It had to be a woman who was skilled and strong, with a fierce knowledge of medical techniques and, let's face it. A damn attractive appreance. Sakura fit the bill perfectly.

_'You don't want me to seduce some old guy with you in the next room Uchiha? Well then I'll just do it myself in the next village!'_ Her inner cried while pumping her fists in the air.

Sakura was ready.

***

It was around six o'clock before Sakura arrived in the small town. She noticed people giving her looks and tried to make herself as inconspicuous as possible. She steered herself through the quaint streets until she found a small, out of the way inn to stay at. She stopped before she entered the door and hid in an alleyway. The girl performed a simple Genjutsu, which hid her shocking pink hair and viberant green eyes from people who might recognize her.

She entered the inn, now with long, ink black hair and dim blue eyes that gave her face a misty, mysterious quality. Her breasts were bigger, to draw Watanabi's attention. She made herself taller as well, but she now wished she hadn't because combined with her heavier chest and longer legs, she felt even clumsier than she'd been before.

_'Crap! Watch us fall face first into his crotch or something, before we even kill the bastard! Remind me why we took this mission again?' _Her inner complained.

Sakura shook her head and prepared herself to meet the man. She strapped a few weapons to her legs which would be hidden by her dress, but only just. The dress itself was so microscopic, it made Sakura want to rip the sliver of material to shreds and put on some sweats. However, slinky dress would always be more attractive than frumpy sweatpants. So, grudgingly, she slipped into the dress.

"Oh Uchiha, if you could see me now, your eyes would probably expload." Sakura muttered to herself as she looked in the mirror. _'Not to mention his pants.'_ Her inner added ruefully. Sakura laughed bitterly at that.

The now black haired woman, armed with several concealed weapons and two vials of poison, her chakra fizzing inside her small frame, made her way out of her room and towards the nearest bar in town.

_'Classy place.' _She thought sarcastically as she neared the dirty and rough looking building. She waltzed through the door and scanned the room for the man, who's life she'd been sent to take away. She knew from pictures what he looked like. It was just a matter of looking through the smoke and the other drunken faces to find him.

_'Aha.' _She found him in a back corner, observing young women and waiteresses with predatory eyes. Little did he know that tonight, he would be the prey. Sakura flipped her hair back, and attempted to keep her disgust at this animal in check. Putting on her sexiest look, she pushed past the drunkards and stalked towards the bar, making sure to make herself stand out.

She sat at the bar and ordered a glass of water so that she wouldn't be affected by the alcohol. Turning to look over her shoulder, Sakura made eye contact with the target and smiled to herself. He was falling into her trap.

She spun around in her seat and crossed her legs, making sure her dress, if it could even be called that, rode up and exposed her leg. She caught Watanabi looking her way and raised an eyebrow at him. When she saw a grin spread across his chubby and sweaty looking cheeks she decided to go meet the man she was itching to kill. She stood and swung her hips as she walked across the room towards him.

Deciding to play it hot when she reached him, she stretched across him, grabbed his drink and pretended to take a sip all while staring him in the eyes with a smirk on her face. "Well well." He grinned wolfishly at her. His eyes roamed her body, top to bottom and she swore his eyes lingered a little too much around her chest. "Who might you be?" He asked her with his oily voice.

"Haruta Yoshina. You're Watanabi Yasuo I assume?" She was mildly surprised at how silky her voice sounded, even to her own ears.

The man chuckled at her question and shifted over slighty, motioning for her to sit down next to him. "You're a bit forward aren't you?" he laughed agin and Sakura was forced to repress the gag reflex. His breath smelled of whiskey. "I like that in a woman. And yes, I am Watanabi Yasuo. You've heard of me?" He asked as he wrapped a snake like arm around her waist.

"Maybe." She said coyly while placing her slender fingers on his thick thigh. He smiled smugly and leaned in close to her ear.

"Would you like to see why?" He whispered harshly into her ear, his warm breath fanning across her face. Sakura wanted to throw up. She really did.

_'Not particularily, you creep.' _She was tempted to say. "Would I be here if I didn't?" was what she did reply.

He laughed again before ushering her out of the booth, "I guess not... but I'm _very_ glad you are." and Sakura was sure she knew what his intentions were. It couldn't have gone more according to plan. He'd take her up to his room, try to get in her pants and Sakura would get her information and kill the leech before he could harm any other girls. If it all worked out, she'd be back in Konoha by tomorrow afternoon.

She stood up and she nearly jumped around and slammed her fist into his face when she felt his large fingers close around her bum. _'Calm down Sakura. He'll be dead soon.' _She repeated over and over again in her head.

He lead her outside the bar, away from the sounds of shouting, drinks slamming on tables, breaking glass... towards a shabby looking motel and his own demise.

***

Sasuke shattered the glass in his hands to pieces. The young man didn't even notice the cuts that now covered his hands from the shards of glass, nor the stinging from the alcohol in his cuts. He was too focused on trying to burn the pervert who was touching Sakura inappropriatly with only is eyes.

He'd managed to track down his pink haired teammate to this pathetic town. Sasuke didn't think she'd been sent too far and there were a few times during the past few hours where she'd allowed almost unnoticable traces of her boundless chakra out. Therefore, once he'd gotten a general idea of where she was headed, he picked up his pace and arrived only a few minutes after she did. He'd seen her perform a genjutsu behind the inn she was staying in, so he knew she was now disguised.

But he still didn't know what her mission was.

That night, he checked into the same inn as her and waited until he heard her leave before following her out. He had almost broken skin, considering how hard he was clenching his fists. She looked...well beyond decent. Even the Uchiha could admit that it had become hard to swallow when he saw her.

By now he had a pretty good idea about what her mission was. He just hoped he was wrong. However, he knew that Uchiha's were seldom wrong.

At the bar he entered quietly and hid his chakra. Years of being a missing nin had enabled him to perfect this ability and he knew Sakura wouldn't notice him if he hung low. He stared as she let her dress ride up and he glared when he noted that he was not the only person who had noticed. He was shocked at how convincing she was. Where had she learned to act so provocatively?

He fought the urge to stand up and storm over to the pair, who were now talking in a secluded area of the bar. She'd taken a drink of his poison. She'd sat down next to him. She'd placed her _hand _on his _thigh. _She was certainly taking this job way too seriously. Couldn't she just ask him to meet her outside before shoving a kunai into his throat?

That was when he'd watched them get up and go. He choked slightly, not enough for anyone to notice of course, when he'd seen the snake grope her. He'd groped his Sakura. It was so wrong. As they left Sasuke was clenching the glass too tightly and it had broken all over his hands.

He knew what her mission was now, without a doubt. Fury clouded his every thought and Sasuke couldn't even think straight. He didn't even register many things that he himself had done in the past few minutes. He didn't notice the glass breaking, his fist slamming, his feet moving, his Sharingan activating, his mind calling Sakura _his. _

He just knew that he had to take some kind of action. Soon.

***

"It's so kind of you to invite me up here, Yasuo." She thanked him fakely when they'd arrived. She figured that since he thought he was going to be screwing her, she'd be able to skip the formalities and just call him by his first name.

"Oh it is my pleasure Yoshina." He replied smoothly. _'I'm sure it is, bastard.I wish I didn't have to be here.'_ She thought. The man unlocked the door to his motel room and guided Sakura inside. The room was just as shabby as the outside of the building and was filled with tacky decorations. The smell of sweat and a gross cologne masked the room and hurt her nostrils.

Sakura smiled seductively once he'd shut the door and walked up the Yasuo. She pushed him against the door assertively.

"So why did you bring me up here, Yasuo?" She whispered into his ear, brushing the skin with her lips.

"Well," He started. Suddenly Sakura found herself thrust onto the bed harshly and the pervert straddling her legs, pushing them apart. "_Yoshina._ I was actually wondering what you were doing with these...?" He asked as he ripped her dress quickly, revealing the few weapons she'd stashed there earlier.

"If you were trying to be stealthy, next time, when you let your dress ride up, don't let the target see the tip of your kunai. It might land you in some _painful _experiences." He said in an icy tone beside her face that made her shiver, How could she have been so stupid!?!

_'I knew this dress was too short!'_Sakura growled. He may have figured her out a bit sooner than intended, but she was still a Kunoichi. She freed her wrist from his greasy fingers and, finally did what she'd been aching to do all night. She slammed her face into the jaw that had previously just touched her ear.

Yasuo reeled backwards at the blow and growled. He spat at her and lunged for her neck. Sakura rolled over onto off the bed and wiped his saliva off her pale cheek. She really wanted to throw up, preferably all over this joker's face. But she kept it in check and swung around behind him. She locked his fat hands in her own and twisted them around none too gently.

"You're going to wish you didn't do that buddy. But before we get to that, do you mind telling me what you've been doing to these girls and where I can find them, you scumbag?" She growled.

Watanabi just chuckled at her question. "So you like it rough do you? If you want information, you're going to have to do better than that, _Yoshina_." He spat out before thrusting her body behind him and straight into a wall. Sakura was mildly surprised and thrown off by his sudden move. All of a sudden, an incredible pain spread through her lower abdomen. She could feel blood running down her hips and when she looked down, she noticed a knife protruding from her skin. It was a deep injury and very painful. Watanabi grabbed the handle firmly and pulled it downward, cutting her leg profoundly. Sakura cried out in excurciating pain.

She used her other leg to kick him in the gut and sent him flying towards the other side of the room. He was momentarily knocked out and Sakura was too hurt to speak. She slid down the wall in pain and whimpered when she lift ed her dress to inspect the wound. She began healing the worst of it, and managed to heal only a small part of the wound when Yasuo stood and made his way towards her. Deciding that she didn't have time to heal it, she quickly used the extra fabric from her dress to wrap around her leg and slow the bleeding.

"Such a pretty girl, it's a shame to ruin my plans for the night, just because you're not as willing as you once were." He waddled to her and reached down to grab her chest and haul her onto the bed when the door slammed open and Watanabi was once again thrown into a wall.

"Get the fuck away from her." Sakura heard a voice state, filled with undescribable anger. She looked up from her wound and found herself staring at the back of Sasuke Uchiha.

_'How did he find out where I was? And __**Why **__did he even bother coming?' _She wondered to herself. She cut off her own thoughts and stood up, ignoring the pain from the wound she still didn't get the chance to finish healing.

"Sasuke?! What do you think you're doing here?!" She interoggated him. This was meant to be her mission, to prove herself and here he was ruining it because he still didn't believe she could do it.

"...." He didn't bother answering her. He just bent down and grabbed the collar of Yasuo's shirt and hauled him upwards. His Sharingan bore holes into Yasuo's minds and the man was soon shaking from fear he didn't want to show.

"Sasuke! I told you to stay away from me! Get the hell out of here and go back to Konoha. I'm handling this ass so _leave." _She yelled at him. Why couldn't he just mind his own damn business?!

He still chose not to answer so Sakura decided to take matters into her own hands. Yasuo soon found his feet back on the ground as Sakura punched the side of Sasuke face and said man dropped his hold of Watanabi's neck. It wasn't for long however because Sakura soon filled his place.

"Listen. You're going to tell me what you've been doing to these girls right now Watanabi. I'm sick of you so make it quick." She spat viciously. She was literally on edge.

"I'm not saying anything you bitch. Let me down or live to regret it." He ground out his words as though he were constipated.

"No. See you've got it all wrong you jackass. You can either tell me what kind of sick things you've been doing to these girls and show me where I can find them...or you can prepare yourself to have thirty-seven Kunai's stabbed into your heart. I'm really not in the mood to play games here. So tell me..._now." _She strengthened her hold on his throat until his face began turning puple. For effect she pulled out a kunai and twirled it around her fingers.

"...I-I brought them up here to fool around. Normally I just let them leave afaterwards but there is a much larger profit to be found by selling them to other men after I've satisfyed my need for them." Sakura snarled at his words. By now, Sasuke had stood up and was now standing behind her shoulder, glaring at Yasuo.

"My partener owns this motel. I-I-I've been working with him for the past few months. He's been hiding the girls in the basement and 'lending' them out to wealthy men. They should be there."

Sakura gasped. He was using innocent girls as sex toys for other men against their will. She wanted to throw up, this time for real. She could feel her knees weakening from the thought of what this man had done to so many young women. But she couldn't be weak. She had a job to do. She reached into her bra and pulled out a vial of poison design to kill the drinker within secodns of drinking it.

"Good. That wasn't so hard now was it? Now do me a favour and drink this." She said while pouring the clear liquid down his throat. Once his body had relaxed and she could feel no life within the man, she allowed him to drop onto the floor and ran out the door.

She pushed against Sasuke roughly to get out the door.

"What are you still doing here? I told you I could do it, so you can go Uchiha. I don't want to ever see your face again, least of all on an important mission-"

He put a hand on her shoulder to stop her from running away. Quickly he took off the jacket he'd been wearing and handed it to her. She was bewildered. "Um...Thank you?" He just rolled his eyes and pointed downwards. Thats when Sakura remember that the creep had ripped her dress and she was basically just walking around in her lingery. Sasuke remained silent as he followed her, now with his jacket wrapped tightly around her waist, down the stairs and into the entrance of the motel.

Sakura found the next target sitting back behind the desk with his feet up, drinking some form of alcohol. After they'd dealt with him, Sakura kicked open the door that lead to his basement and ran down the stairs. She breathed out a sigh of relief to find the nine girls down there. Not totally unharmed, but all of them alive. They were crying and whimpering, most likely scared that they would be sent out with another perverted old man.

Sakura pulled out a flashlight and looked them all over. There was an incredible amount of healing to be done. Some of them had cuts over there arms, bruises, fabric burns around their wrists, blood was caked around their thighs and legs. Sakura closed her eyes and tried to focus.

She set off healing the women one by one. They were hesitant at first, but once they understood that Sakura was here to help them, they became more willing to come near her. Sasuke just leaned against the back wall, waiting for her to finish.

***

Sakura fought hard to keep her eyes open. After a couple hours of healing her chakra was used up and she was exhausted. Her genjutsu had worn off long ago and her bright pink fanned around her shoulders as she finished healing the last girl. Most of the woman lived in the village and just went straight home, however Sasuke and Sakura still had to escort the Konoha girl back home with them.

Sakura was using all her strength not to collapse. She couldn't let Sasuke believe that she couldn't finish the mission.

As the three of them walked out the gates of the small town, Sakura began finding it hard to breathe and stay standing. She tried as hard as she could to stay on her feet until they made it into the forest and set up camp. She helped them set up camp and laid down her sleeping bag as far away from the Uchiha as humanly possible.

As she laid down to sleep she briefly remembered her wound and the blood loss she'd sustained and the chakra usage, and she wondered if her body would even wake up in the morning.

***

The next day, Sakura did wake up, but it was to extreme pain and she was still too tired to do much to help herself.

The group was walking thorugh the trees on the ground because their company couldn't jump from tree to tree like a ninja. She caught the girl staring at the Uchiha from time to time and felt sick. She almost wanted to warn the girl that the man she thought was appealing to look at was actually the biggest ass. Still it was understandable. After being raped by sweaty middle-aged men, it must have been nice to look at a man who was decent looking for once.

Abruptly, Sakura could feeling herself falling forwards. She no longer had the strength to stand and keep herself awake. She could hardly breathe and she knew she was in trouble. She had really let this go too far, and now she was in deep trouble. She needed a medic.

Sasuke turning around at the sound of someone falling and felt his eyes land on the crumpled figure of Sakura. She wa unconcious and he was stumped. She had used a lot of chakra but normally she was fine after a good night's sleep. There must have been something else wrong.

He rushed to her unconcious form and picked her up. He noticed a piece of fabric tied around her leg and and wondered what it was. He set her down on the grass and grudgingly ripped the shorts she'd changed into to see what it was. He untied the blood drenched strip of cloth and nearly cringed at the wound. No wonder she'd collapsed. The skin was sepearted by a huge gash and the tissu in her leg was torn up. The wound was very sever and should have been treated right away, but her being Sakura, she healed everyone else before herself and was probably dying of blood loss or infection by now.

He knew that she could get very sick, with her body this weak. She needed a doctor.

"Shit." He cursed. He reallly was at a loss of what to do. On one hand, Sakura needed to get to a doctor right away to be treated. But on the other he was stuck in the middle of a forest with some girl who couldn't run fast enough. He couldn't carry both the girl and Sakura at the same time, but couldn't leave the young woman in the forest alone. They had already walked too far from the town they'd previously been in the night before, and by now Konoha was much closer.

He had to walk. There was nothing else he could do. If they'd been alone, Sasuke would be halfway to the village by now, but seeing as he had to escort the girl, he could only hope that Sakura would be okay until they could get back. He grabbed her wrists and pulled her onto his back so it was as though she were being given a piggy back.

And he begn to walk briskly back in the direction of Konoha with the young stranger at his heels.

***

A few hours later Sakura slowly regained conciousness. She pressed her face into the warm place where'd it had been resting and gently open her eyes. She was met with the image of black hair meeting the pale skin of a neck.

She pushed herself upwards faster than lightening and suddenly wished she had just stayed put. Her head felt like it was spinning and her whole body, particularily her leg, was in terrible pain. She felt tired and her breathing was still harsh.

"What the h-" She began to ask the man who's back she was being carried on.

"Hn." He cut her off. She was supposed to be unconciousness. Did she have to break every rule of medical principle. After the blood loss and over exurtion, she was supposed to be dead, least of all _awake. _

"Sasuke?! Put me down! What do you think you're doing?!" She asked the back of his head.

"Hn." He replied. Sakura twitched. He wasn't even going to explain to her why he was carrying her. She couldn't remember anything. She knew that she'd fainted but everything after that was dark. She growled and began fishing around in her weapon's pouch.

"Stop it Sakura. Stay still." He growled back at her. It wasn't easy to carry someone who wouldn't stop fidgeting. She should be resting. She may not have realized it, but she was in real trouble and he needed to get to Konoha soon, before she passed out again and didn't wake up.

"_Hn!" _She retorted and pulled out the piece of paper she was looking for. She didn't mind pulling it out now. He was carrying her and he wouldn't be able to see what was on it.

_'Replace each of his 'Hn's with something else. Ha! Perfect...'_ She thought to herself.

"Sakura, what are you doing?" she heard him grind out. He was getting angry and soon he would just stop talking all together. She huffed at him.

"Nothing." Sasuke was getting annoyed with her. Sakura just crossed her arms defiantly. When she felt herself being titled backwards by the Uchiha and falling off his back, she shrieked and grabbed his neck again.

"Hn." _'I'm a male cross dresser who failed school because I was too busy staring at the other men.' _Sakura felt a smile creep across her face. This was going to be fun.

"How far are we from Konoha, Sasuke?" She asked him hoping that his answer would be...

"Hn." _'Very close. I was in a rush to get home to screw my secret boyfriend all night long.' _Sakura very nearly laughed out loud at that one. She'd always had her suspicions about his sexual orientation.

And few minutes later Sakura decided to try it again.

"So why did you come anyways? I didn't need your help." She asked. She knew she was irritating him, but after the stunt he'd pulled before _that _mission, she was still angry and wanted to annoy him as much as she could since she was probably stuck with him for at least another hour.

"Hn." He answered. Was she still angry and just trying to annoy him intentionally?

'_I came because the Hokage threatened to eliminate my tomato supplier if I didn't come. I know you don't need my help. You're a better nin than most people.' _Sakura grinned. She could twist his whole personality this way.

"You're an ass." She said.

"Hn." He growled. She was driving him insane.

_'Why yes I am. My lover has often told me that as we dance about our home in our sailor moon outfits.'_

Sakura giggled at that one. She wondered what sailor scout he'd be...Mercury? No, too nice. Mars? Jupitar? Too cool. If she had to choose one, it'd definitely be Sailor Moon herself. Images of Sasuke dancing around his room in an Sailor moon outfit with his boyfriend, dressed in a tuxedo mask costume filled her head. She giggled even harder and was soon in fits.

"Sakura. What is it?" He hissed. He was so ready to get back to Konoha and get her in the hospital. She was delirious.

"N-N-nothing Sasuke. Just L-Laughing at y-y-you that'sss all." She laughed.

"Hn." He snapped. _'I wish I didn't have a thirty-foot pole up my ass so that I could laugh too.' _Sakura continued laughing and the girl they were traveling with began to giggle at the ridiculous pair and wondered what their relationship was.

Sakura turned her attention to the girl and chatted with her for a while.

"We're almost there." the Uchiha stated to them. Sakura breathed a sigh of relief. For the past hour, she'd been feeling even worse than before and was only talking with the other two to take her mind off the pain. She was more worried about her health than she'd been in a while. Sakura could feel her vision doubling and she began to slip in and out of conciousness. Her figure began to slip off the Uchiha's back.

"Sakura. Sakura." Sasuke repeated, trying to get her to stay awake. _'Shit'_ he cursed inwardly, she was going to fall.

"Hn." He grunted as she tumbled from his back and he was forced to spin around and catch her before she hit the ground. _'What are you doing you idiot?' _Sakura translated into what he was probably really thinking about her.

"S-Sasuke." She whispered as she tired to stay awake. "Hn." he muttered distractedly as he checked her pulse. It was erratic and hard to find. _'Just shut up. I'm busy Sakura.' _She thought. _'I'm always an annoyance to him.I'll never be anything more.'_ She admitted to herself. She was falling into darkness again, breathing had become hard.

"Sakura." He searched her face for any sign that she would be okay. She fainted and Sasuke cursed. He had to get her to the hospital _now. _They were close enough the village that the young woman would be okay to walk there by herself. She looked at Sakura with worried eyes and nodded at the Uchiha's unspoken order.

"Hn." _'I need to save her.'_

The young woman watched as the man sped towards Konoha with the girl and hoped that the woman who'd saved them would be okay.

"Hn." He muttered furiously under his breath as he glanced down at the unconcious girl. _'Don't die. Don't you dare die Sakura.' _

_*** _

Sakura awoke one more time and found herself in the hospital with Tsunade looking over her. She had a flashback, back to the time in the forest when she'd fainted the last time. Hn. Hn. Hn. That was all she heard from him. She knew he was annoyed and probably was gloating inside at the fact that she couldn't complete her mission.

She was tired of his grunts and wished that he would sometimes give her something else to go on. To assure her that she meant _something _to him. Something more than a useless, one syllable, grunt.

_'He really doesn't care. He never will. Those stupid Hn's don't mean anything, no matter what stupid things I pretend they do. They don't mean anything.'_

She thought bitterly as a tear rolled down her cheek. She could feel the mask on her face supplying her with oxygen. She could feel Tsunade's warm chakra on her wound. She could hear the heart monitor telling her she was alive. But inside she felt empty.

She realized that this step wasn't just about making some silly game out of his grunts. It was about learning that they didn't mean much at all. Well if that was the case than Sakura had finished this step. What she didn't know, was that when it came to her, they meant so much more.

As Sakura slipped back into an unconcious state, her last thoughts were wishes that they did mean something.

_'Step Eight: Complete.'_

_*** _

_To Be Continued_

**A/N: Soooooooooooo? I know there were a few problems in this chapter but I just couldn't fix them. So if you're thinking to yourself..."Wow...That didn't make sense." then just forgive me okay? I tried going through it all but I just couldn't. I know it seems as though Sakura got over the whole "Sasuke leaving her behind" thing, but that's only because she had no choice. She is a ninja afterall. Don't worry though...She's still mad. We haven't seen the last of this issue ^^ **

**Oh and in case you were confused. The part were it says "When it came to her, they meant so much more." is referring to Sasuke, not Sakura... They mean more to HIM when he's talking to her. Not they mean more to HER. Get it? **

**And I'm thinking you all know what the next step is (ahem..Sakura's dating! ahem ahem) So just be patient and I'll get right on it. **

**Thank you all for reading and Please review!! Until next time!! **


	10. Learning

**A/N: SURPRISE!! I'm BAAACK! Thank goodness too cause I was just about to shoot myself! My internet has been giving my hell for so long. It hasn't let me upload anything at all! But I've still been writing. I've been dying to post for you guys! So I'm going to try and keep this short and let you start reading the real fic because I know you've been waiting for so long!**

**(By the way......prepare yourself for a small, SasuSaku moment. I figured it was time to make one happen :D But don't get too excited...it doesn't last XD XD Evil much?) **

**PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!! THIS WEEK IS THE MOST IMPORTANT WEEK TO ME BECAUSE OF SEVERAL REASONS! 1) because I haven't posted in so long and I have been dying to read some reviews! 2) This is the chapter you've all been saying you've been waiting for and I tried really hard to make it good. 3) THIS IS THE LONGEST CHAPTER/PIECE OF WRITING I HAVE EVER WRITTEN IN MY LIFE! **

_Disclaimer: I don't own! I only spend sleepless nights wishing! _

The Road To Recovery

_9. Feel free to flirt or date whenever you want to._ _If a young man asks you on date or shamelessly flirts with you, feel free to return the favour. Before, when you were in love with Sasuke, you would consider this unfaithful and unnecessary. But now that you have made the choice to let go of your infatuation, it is still unnecessary but the fact is that you are now free to enter the great, big world of dating. (I heard Kiba's available). This also demonstrates to the Uchiha that you are over him._

***

"Sakura. Sakura."

Sakura could hear someone calling to her and could feel a hand on her shoulder. Her eyes were still closed but she was awake. She winced as she shifted in bed, the pain in her lower body returning to her.

_'That didn't feel very nice.'_ Her inner grumbled. She tried to sink farther into the pillows and away from the pain.

"I- I think she's waking up! Sakura!" Again with the voices. But this was a different person, the first voice was an older man's voice; deep and gentle. This one was higher and definitely more feminine. Louder too. Sakura was still disoriented and couldn't place them. Curious to see who they were, she popped her eyes open quickly. The sight she was met with was certainly enough to surprise someone who didn't even know her own name at the moment. The first thing she saw were two pairs of enourmous, piercing blue eyes, staring at her. She could feel her own eyes widen in surprise. Soon she began to recognize everyone.

Kakashi stood at the foot of her bed with his hands in his pockets. His visible eye was crinkled upwards and she knew that he was smiling at her. He didn't even have his book in his pocket and she knew he must have been worried about her, to the point where he wouldn't even read Icha Icha.

On her left, near her head sat one of her best friends. Ino had her hand on Sakura's shoulder and was smiling largely. It looked as though she were trying the hold back a few stray tears. Ino laughed happily and reached over to grab one of her hands. She was just happy that Sakura was awake and alright.

On her other side stood another of her closest and oldest friends. Sakura was a bit taken aback by him. His reaction was not very typical for Naruto. Normally, the man would call out her name loudly and obnoxiously before crushing her small figure in a tight hug. He'd make jokes and laugh and smile, happy to see her doing better. But now he was just standing there, fists tightly clenched at his sides. She could see him shaking slightly and wondered if he was angry at her for some reason.

Suddenly he moved forwards and enveloped her in a hug, but this was still different from his usual. Instead of breaking every bone in her body, he was hugging her gently, stiffly as if afraid she'd shatter. She could feel something wet in the crook of her neck. All of a sudden, the reason he'd been shaking became painfully clear. She slid her arms out of his gentle grasp and wrapped them around him, trying to comfort him, show him that she was okay.

He pulled away and wiped his eyes quickly on his sleeve.

She turned away from him to see Kakashi wave at her. "I'm going to go home quickly. I'll be back soon." His eyes crinkled even more and she could see a knowing look upon his face.

Ino looked up at him and nodded, understanding what he was doing. Naruto and Sakura needed a bit of time to catch up. "Yeah I should probably go home and clean myelf up a bit...Oh Forehead! I'm just glad your okay! I'll be back in a little while. Okay?" She said while hugging her gently, but still lovingly.

Once they were both gone, Sakura was determined to figure out Naruto's problem.

The thing was that Sakura wasn't exactly sure how to start. She'd just woken up, she didn't know exactly how long she'd been out for nor how serious it had been. She hadn't seen Naruto in a few weeks and their parting hadn't entirely embodied a friendly one. Also he just wasn't acting like himself. How should she approach this serious and mysterious Naruto, who was so different from the one she was used to?

"Na-" She began

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry Sakura-chan" Naruto whispered. She could see him struggling with his words. He looked more upset than she'd seen him in a while.

"Naruto, it's okay-" She tried to assure him that she wasn't angry at him. She coughed, her throat feeling as though it were coated in three layers of dust. It was hard to push the words out of her mouth.

"No it's not! We left you behind Sakura! If you'd come with us, you wouldn't have gone on that god damn mission!" He shouted. Sakura was slightly taken aback. He seemed so angry with himself. She wondered how badly he'd taken it when he'd first seen her in the hospital.

"I-I was just so scared Sakura-chan. I thought we'd lost you, and that the last thing I did was leave you behind. I couldn't live with that fact that the very last time we saw each other, you-you hated me." He said with his hands clenched by his side again. It didn't even look as though he were talking to her anymore, he was just staring into space. Tear were welling up again and he fiercely wiped them away again with the heel of his hand.

Sakura smiled softly. She spoke quietly, still tired and sore with a dry throat and a parched mouth that stll hadn`t gotten used to speaking again. "Naruto, I didn't hate you. I could never _hate _you." She said gently. "Jeez Naruto! You're my teammate and one of my best friends. Did you _really_ think that my last thoughts of you would be about how much I despised you...?! You weren't even the one that I was mad at."

He looked back down at her with soft eyes and a sad look upon his face, showing her that that was exactly what he _had _been thinking.

"I was angry and really hurt, yes. But I knew that you were just looking out for me. Stop beating yourself up about this. You'll always be my friend. Always Naruto. And besides, I'm okay. It's not like I'm _dead _now, so quit it with this 'serious Naruto' thing. You're freaking me out.... Where is the happy Uzumaki I'm used to...?" She said with a meager smile on her face. Sakura leaned back onto her pillows, because the action of saying just a few words had made her ready to go to sleep again. Her eyes were only half open and she fought to keep them open.

She looked up at Naruto and could see his face changing. She wanted laugh at how easy it was to see the wheels in his head turning. Anyone and everyone could see his thought process working in his brain. Still she could still see an inner struggle. He still wanted to be angry with himself over this. Sakura wouldn't let this tear him apart though. She giggled and opened up her arms a little bit, inviting him in for a real hug this time.

That did it. Soon she was debating her tactics was she was engulfed into a classic, bone crushing hug. She winced from the pain in her sore body, but she tried not to let him see and make him feel worse. He let go and laughed loudly as he backed up and plopped down into a chair.

"You're right Sakura-chan. He was kind of freaking me out too" Sakura was happy that Naruto was back to normal as she watched him laugh and smile as he had before.

"So, are you ready to fill me in? I need to know what happened... All I remember was Sasuke carrying me and then I-I fainted....? I think..." She told him with a slight furrow in her brows as she tried to remember anything more.

"Oh right! Well...I don't know much about what happened when you guys first got to the village. When we got back from our mission I went straight to go see you but you'd already left. A few days later I overheard some people talking about how they'd seen Teme running towards the hospital with you." Sakura nodded at his words and stayed silent, urging him to continue with her eyes.

"I was really scared. I didn't know what to think. By the time I got there, the old lady was already with you and I couldn't see you. It was really serious Sakura. The cut on your leg was deep and it must have been painful, but it was healed pretty easily. But.. you were also stabbed quite low on your torso...and...the old lady said that it may have damaged something." If Sakura had the energy, she would have quirked an eyebrow.

"It might have damaged..._something._ I see." She said jokingly and Naruto just laughed and scratched the back of his head.

"You know me. I don't remember that kind of stuff!" Sakura was in the process of rolling her eyes and shaking her head when another voice presented itself.

"And here I was thinking he was actually listening to me. He can hide the idiot within himself, but I guess it'll never truly leave." The speaker heaved a heavy sigh and moved towards Sakura.

"Tsunade-shishou. Hi." Sakura weakly greeted her.

"Sakura. I'm glad to see you're awake and feeling better. You had me worried there. You really enjoy this place don't you? Half the time you're working here and the other you're a patient." Her teacher said while shaking her head. Sakura laughed but didn't disagree; lately that seemed to be true.

"Naruto, I'm going to have to ask you to leave while I preform a check up on Sakura." She stated sternly.

"Do I have to go?" He whined.

"Yes!" The fifth answered firmly. He walked up to her and give her another hug. "Bye Sakura-chan! See you later granny!" he called back to them.

"Don't call me that!" Tsunade shouted after him. Naruto just laughed and shut the door behind him and Sakura swore she could hear him talking to someone on the other side.

"Sorry T-...You can't go in now. She's... a check up...Aww! Are you disappoi-...OW! You Bast-.."

Sakura furrowed her eyebrows and tried to figure out who he was talking to. Her attention was soon drawn back to her sensei as she checked the various monitors around the small white room and asked her questions. After the interoggation was over, Sakura still wasn't sure about what had been so serious.

"Shishou? Maybe you can fill me in a bit more...? Naruto doesn't really know what he's talking about and I'm really curious about what happened." She regarded the older woman pleadingly.

"Well..." The Hokage started. "When you were brought back, I couldn't understand why. I thought it had just been a cut that you would have healed yourself. But the Uchiha filled me in on what had happened. I knew that sustaining that much blood loss was bad enough, but with hardly any chakra left in your body. Not to mention that you left the injury for too long without healing it and it was badly infected. You really put yourself in a dangerous position Sakura." She gave her a look at this and Sakura just smiled and looked down at her hands. The fifth's voice suddenly got very serious.

"Then there was the matter of where Watanabi stabbed you. The knife had been embedded in a very important place to a woman, Sakura. That area of your body should never be tampered with. I was worried that by the time the operation was finished, your female organs would be beyond repair and you wouldn't ever be able to have children."

The pink haired woman gasped and her head suddenly shot up at her teachers words. She struggled to breathe for a second's time. It couldn't be. It just couldn't be. "B-But everything i-is okay right? You were able to fix it, right? Right?!"

"Yes. For the most part, I'm confidant that everything's going to be fine, but we're still not one hundred percent sure. You'll have to come back in a month's time to be examined by a specialist, but other than that, you should be able to be up and running in a couple weeks. But, putting it simply, that just emphasizes the seriousness of the injuries. They were so serious, they made even me question the consequences they'd have if I couldn't heal you in time. You need to start being more careful Sakura."

Sakura breathed out a sigh and fell backwards again. She didn't know what she would have done if... She smiled from the overwhelming relief. But she still had a few more questions. "How long was I out for? Why was everyone so happy that I'd woken up? Usually after an operation, the patient waking up only takes a matter of time."

Tsunade sat down on the corner of the bed. "For someone who's just woken up after an operation, you really do ask too many questions. You were out for about two weeks. Fifteen days I think. I already told you. You lost a lot of blood on this mission and the affects were very serious. And you had _no_ chakra Sakura. Also after the operation you were on a lot of medication, for the pain and the infection. Everyone was worried that the combination of all this would..."

Sakura nodded her head in understanding. She didn't know the seriousness of what had happened. It seemed like just a cut. Nothing more.

"Now I want you to rest up. The more you rest, the sooner you'll heal." Her sensei told her, Sakura just lay back down on the pillows and watched her go.

"Thank you Shishou." Just as she was leaving, Sakura remembered something important, just as she slowly started dosing off.

"Oh wait Tsunade-sensei! I need a favour, please." She asked. "Could you ask Ino to drop off my weapon's pouch?"

***

Sakura stared out of the windows of her hospital room. She sighed loudly and rolled her eyes upwards towards the ceiling. She was so bored. She knew that it was mostly her fault that she'd ended up in this condition, for she could have healed herself as soon as she could and postponed the girls injuries. They weren't life threatening, but her's were. Still, it didn't change the fact that she was still extremely bored and nearly ready to shoot herself.

Her friends often visited her and brought her tokens of their relief at the fact that she'd awoken and was healing stably. But when they weren't there, the room was utter torture. She had nothing to entertain herself and was always letting her mind leave her current situation and wish that she were training. She wanted to move, run, jump, fight, crush. She just simply could not stand it, being cooped up in a stuffy and sterile medical facility time after time.

Being a doctor was a completely different story. She had been the one who told others that they had to remain in the hospital for a month, but who herself got to leave the sliding double doors and go home once her shift was over. Now the places had reversed on her.

She sighed and titled her head back onto her pillows, closing her eyes in the process. She wished that somehow the dull atmosphere which surrounded her would be lifted by something a little more amusing than the clouds rolling across the sun, which was something she'd taken to observing to distract herself.

_'God. I'm turning into Shikamaru.'_ Her inner complained.

Nearly a week since the day she'd requested that Ino bring her her list, Sakura was still in the hospital, and was scheduled to be in for another week after that. She'd checked the next step nearly right away. Flirt with other guys, date other guys, ignore Sasuke. How hard could it be?

Lord knows it wasn't hard to ignore him. He was quiet, stoic and moody; certainly not the life of the party. Not to mention the fact that right now, she hated his guts and was healing her freshly broken heart, curtesy of said man. He'd requested that she not be allowed on a mission, which had been the lowest insult he could have ever given her. Not only that, but he'd also followed her because he didn't think she could accomplish her own solo mission alone. How could he be real? No man was nearly as big of a jerk as him.

Therefore she didn't think it would be much of a challenge to turn her attention to another, more deserving person. There were only two problems. The first was the fact that she'd been forced to stay locked up in the hospital ward. How was she meant to get out there and show Sasuke that his number one fangirl was over him if she couldn't even get out of bed?

No guy would approach her while she was bedridden. What kind of a date would that be? A delicious meal of hospital food with the stunning ambiance created by the florescent lighting surrounding them, with the added perk of hundreds of other sick residents joining in. The after dinner entertainment would consist of her receiving her latest check up and being helped to the washroom by a middle-aged nurse.

_'How romantic.' _

The second was the fact that she had no idea on how one goes about flirting with a man.

Just as she was in the midst of convincing herself to throw herself out of the room's only window onto the concrete ground below, she heard footsteps passing her doorway. She lifted her head only half heartedly, assuming that it would just be another nurse passing to another room.

It was not just a nurse.

"Hey Haruno. Jeez, you're not looking so hot in here. How long you been locked up?"

"Kiba! Oh thank God! Please come in." She called out to her fellow rookie nine member. Begged was really a better word for it. It had been a while since she'd seen the Inuzaka and right now, she'd kill for any company at all. And if she were being honest with herself. She had to admit that lately the nin had drawn her attention a little bit. He wasn't bad looking (he was quite the stud actually) and she knew he was a decent guy.

_'He's no Uchiha though.' _Her inner stated blatantly in her mind, Sakura decided to push those thoughts out of her mind quickly and waved the man in her room. Now was not the time to be thinking about that ass.

"What's up?" He asked her curiously as he walked up to the side of the bed. By now Sakura was sitting straight up and was literally beckoning him to her side.

"Nothing really. I just need someone to talk to. It is so awful in here by myself and I'm seriously considering suicide. I was wondering if you might want to hang out with me for a bit. You know...If you have time that is." She was rambling now. Who knew that she'd get nervous talking to a guy who _wasn't_ Sasuke? Her palms obviously, she answered herself, as they were sweating already. "Besides it's been a while since we've caught up." She continued in an attempt to make herself sound a bit more casual.

_'Why is this so hard?!' _She wondered. It's not like Kiba was a stranger. Perhaps it was the concept that she was actually considering another man that got her so worked up. Either way, she just hoped she didn't make a fool of herself.

"That it has." He laughed as he cooly pulled up one of the chairs and sat down beside her. "So what are you in here for anyways?" He asked her conversationally.

"Mission. I was basically sliced up by a pervert and used up all my chakra to heal others. The blood loss alone was enough to keep me here for a week. It's been almost three now." She replied, rolling her eyes at her own stupidity.

"Shit Haruno... You should be careful, always healing everyone else first. I can't really blame the bastard though..." He trailed off.

"For cutting open my side and leg and nearly killing me...?" She asked, a bit confused.

"Yeah...Wait what? No! No no no, that's not what I meant!" He tried to cover up his slip of the tongue. He even laughed at his own words, realizing how stupid he must have made himself sound. "I was just trying to say that I could see why the asshole was attracted to you. You're pretty striking Haruno." He recovered. She tipped back her head and laughed.

"Well..uh- Thanks..Inuzaka. You're not too shabby yourself." She was flirting with him! She was following the step all by herself, with no help from her flirtatious friend Ino, guiding her through the flirting process.

He raised an eyebrow and smiled wolfishly at her, She giggled and pursued a bit more conversation. She wanted to continue this flirting business, because, honestly she was enjoying herself.

"So why are you here?" She asked him politely.

"Hmm? Oh! Yeah, I was just released today actually. I was on a mission last week with Akamaru when I got this..." At this he stood up and lifted the bottom of his shirt up, revealing a nasty and extremly long scar. Sakura raised her eyebrows and hissed slightly.

"Ouch." She stated.

"Yeah. It was pretty screwed up. They healed the skin up top fairly well, but the scar will always be there. My insides were kind of fucked up though."

Sakura's natural medical knowledge kicked in almost immediately. She wasn't a doctor for nothing. "Yeah , no kidding. I can imagine it affected your muscle tissue relatively seriously. If the cut was deep enough you're ribs and stomach could have been badly and irreparably damaged. I'm guessing that's why you had to stay over here a while." She told him while looking from his cut to his eyes. It was hard to tear her eyes away though, considering that underneath the scar was a set of wonderfully defined and masculine abs.

"Yeah." He laughed as he lowered the fabric of his shirt. "Medic nin much? Anyways, I'm just glad I'm allowed to leave now. It was the worst, not being able to eat real food or see Akamaru. I almost want to go out and celebrate or something." He chuckled.

"No shit. I'd kill for even a bowl of _ramen_ right about now." She agreed. She could relate to the torture this place subjected patients to. "I'd want to celebrate too. I'm still stuck in here for another week."

"Ouch. ...Hey! Once you get out, if you really _do_ want to celebrate your freedom...you could always celebrate _with _me. If you're up to it, that is. " He challenged her and looked at her expectantly, waiting for an answer.

"Are you asking me out, Inuzaka? Cause, if you are, I'm not entirely sure if _you're _up to it. We could always see though." She raised an eyebrow and giggled at his idea of asking a girl out. Challenge her? Dumb, but, considering the fact that she'd just said yes, effective.

"You're on Haruno. I'll come by your place next week. Tuesday at 6:00 good for you?"

"Sure thing. I'll see you then." She couldn't stop smiling. Turned out she had nothing to worry about. Not only had she gotten a date and was on her way to an Uchiha-free life, she had done it without making herself look like an idiot.

Kiba waved as he headed out the door. Just as he was walking out the door, he ran into her team who was coming to visit her. He nodded to the four men and continued on his way out of the hospital. Sakura missed several things that happened in a matter of seconds, as he left.

The first was the subtle thumbs up that passed between the canine expert and Naruto which went unnoticed by all. The second was the immediate reaction that Sasuke had. Fists balled up, scowl deeply etched onto his features, fingers itching to connect with a certain man's face for visiting Sakura...alone.

Once the man was gone, Kakashi, Sai, Naruto and Sasuke all walked into her room.

"Hey boys." She looked all of them in the eyes save one. She wasn't really ready to face him directly yet, after the mission and everything.

"Hey Sakura-chan!" Naruto called out to her. "What was dog-breath doing here?" He asked her.

"Oh nothing." She replied wistfully, as she glanced at the door way in which Kiba had just passed through, with a soft smile on her face. She returned her focus back to Naruto. "I just got a date, though."

***

No. There was _no_ way.

Sakura would not be going out with anyone. He wouldn't allow it, Sasuke thought forcefully as he leaned against the back wall of Sakura's hospital room and observed the others talking casually, his own eyes narrowed dangerously.

He didn't contribute anything to the conversation. The man was too busy plotting ways to stop Sakura's so called date, most of which included a very painful death for the brown haired Inuzaka.

The world was not right. She was supposed to ask him out and hound him night and day. Other men were supposed to understand that Sakura's undivided attention belonged to one man in Konoha and one man alone. Why then, was she now going out with someone else?

No. Way. In. Hell. Would he allow her to do this. No damn way.

The fact that she was going to be dating another guy wasn't even the worst part, hard to believe as that may be. It was the fact that she was acting as though he weren't even there. Was she honestly still angry with him? Even after what had happened? She was just too damn stubborn! How she not let it go and forgive him as she'd done every other time before? He'd only done it because he didn't want her to be molested. There was nothing wrong with that.

_'How could she even consider it?' _He thought bitterly to himself as he scowled in his corner. He caught a few words of their conversation and found himself subconciously listening in.

"... Yeah no. It was cusual and it was just laid back. He just kind of...asked me." Sakura was saying.

Naruto, who was eagerly listening to everything she had to say, pressed on. "So where are you two going? When?"

"Uhh..." She paused, trying to recall the details. "Tuesday around six I think...? I don't know what we'll do though."

He was fed up with all this excitement over _Kiba._ Shoving his hands deep inside his pockets, Sasuke nodded curtly at the rest of them (though was easily dismissed by the pink haired woman) and stalked out of the hospital room darkly.

***

Sakura stretched upwards as she stood out of bed for the first time in over three weeks , without being attached to some sort of machine. She sighed, enjoying the feel of using her body since what felt like forever. She was exstatic to be out of bed, though a little peeved at the fact that, once again, she wouldn't be able to train for a while.

But her spirits couldn't be brought down. She had a good lead on the next step and teaching her bastard of a teammate a lesson. He wasn't going to be the object of her affections for much longer. She couldn't wait for Tuesday to roll around.

She had surprised herself, with how easily she was taking it. Never before would she even imagine that the prospect of dating another man was exciting, but it was. She couldn't wait. It had been ages since she'd gone out with someone reasonable.

She exited the double doors and immediatly broke out into a grin. Fresh air! The air rushed into her lungs and she let out a slight giggle of happiness. Despite the whole disasterous mission, she couldn't be happier.

Sakura walked slowly down the street, revelling in her new freedom. Never before had she ever appreciated the walk from the hospital to her apartment so much.

_'Sweet, sweet exercise!'_ Her inner cheered in her mind. On the walk back, she spotted Ino across the street and waved her over.

"Ino-pig!" She yelled, trying to get the blonde's attention.

"Forehead! You're out!" Ino called as she rushed over and embraced the pinkette warmly.

"Uh-huh. Tsunade-shishou let me go this morning." She smiled at the very idea of not having to stay inside the hospital anymore.

"Good! I missed you like crazy! I've been forced to shop alone, because you were bedridden, Shika's way too lazy, Hinata's busy with that brat. It was awful. Not to mention, who else am I supposed to talk with for hours at a time? How are you feeling, billboard brow?" Ino began talking a mile a minute. Sakura scrunched up her nose at the use of her least favourite nickname.

"Fine, fine. Actually more than fine. You're going to flip when you hear what I'm doing this Tuesday." She replied.

"Try me." Ino accepted the challenge, her eyebrow raised skeptically.

"Kiba and I were going out." Sakura told her.

Ino's eyes slowly widened in shock. She clamped her mouth shut tightly, determined not to freak out. Suddenly, the Yamanaka could not longer contain it.

"WHAT?!?! On a date?! Oh my god! I don't believe it!" Sakura winced at how incredibly loud Ino was.

"Yeah. He asked me about a week ago when I was in the hospital." Sakura shrugged, light heartedly

"And you didn't tell me because...?!" Ino demanded.

"Ummm...Hospital?" Sakura told her obviously.

"Right. Still! Is this part of the....you know..." Ino dropped her voice to a whisper, "The list?"

Sakura nodded. She still couldn't believe how far she'd come since the beginning of the process.

"So? Details Forehead!" Sakura smiled and began to recount everything that had happened and enjoyed watching and hearing her friend's reactions.

Across the street, a certain black-haired man allowed his attention to stray as he glanced across the street. He spotted Sakura immediately followed by her annoying friend. They were whispering and giggling as Sakura spoke. He narrowed his eyes and turned away sharply.

_'Three guesses as to what they're talking about.'_

He suddenly thought about the whole predicament. Today was Sunday. In two days, the girl would be off with another man, doing god knows what.

Sasuke snarled and stalked away. Why did he care so much? She could do whatever the hell she wanted to. It didn't affect him, or at least, it wasn't supposed to affect him. As he rounded a corner, and approached the Uchiha compound, he slammed his fist roughly into a wall and slammed the gates to the estate roughly.

At the moment, he hated Kiba more than anything.

***

The pink haired girl walked down to the training field, early the next morning. She continue her ritual of watching her team practice, to make sure she felt like part of the group. To be honest, she didn't really have anything else more interesting to do.

She hummed a quiet tune to herself as she slowly strolled down the street. In her mind, she ran over the step one more time. She was supposed to flirt with other guys. She could do that. She had a date with Kiba, but it wasn't as though they were a couple yet. It was simply casual. Therefore she didn't see an issue with some laid-back chatting with other guys.

When she woke up that morning she'd spent some extra time making herself look nicer, as her list told her to do, and she once again spotted the looks she was getting as she made her way through Konoha. The only difference was that now, instead of merely blushing or smiling at the comments and wolf whistled, she allowed herself to be a tad bit more coy than normal. It wasn't over the top. Barely noticeable in fact, but she herself noticed the change.

The team had already left the bridge and was probably on it's way to the training fields, so she continued walking. As Sakura neared the grounds, she waved happily and made her way to her favourite spot underneath the tree.

"Hey girly, you're looking good today." She heard Suigetsu comment as she passed him by. Sakura tilted her head and giggled at his forwardness. "Thanks, Shark-boy" she called over her shoulder at him. "You're looking half-decent today too." With that she continued to the tree and sat down.

Unnoticed by her was the immediate scowl present on the Uchiha's face. Flirting with Suigetsu? Unheard of! What had gotten into her?!

Sakura slid down the bark and leaned back onto the tree. She soon groaned as she saw who was approaching her.

"Hello _Pinky." _Karin growled as she neared the tree and sat down a few steps away from her.

"Karin." Sakura never took her eyes off the fight going on now between Naruto and Sai. She wasn't in the mood to deal with this girl right now.

"What are you even doing here? Why do you bother? You're hardly even part of the team anymore." Karin taunted her.

_'Wow. She doesn't waste any time now does she?'_ Sakura thought to herself.

"I am and will always be a part of this team, no matter what you, or anyone else says." Sakura's eyes shifted to the Uchiha in the next field as she said this.

"You keep telling yourself that, Pinky." When Sakura chose not to answer, the red haired woman continued, searching for a reaction. "That mission we went on went really well though. Sasuke-kun seemed glad that I went with them, instead of little old you. _Very_ glad. He really wouldn't leave me alone actually. " Karin purred. The cherry blossom girl snorted in laughter. Somehow she was unable to imagine her teammate ever following _Karin _around like some lovesick puppy.

This, however amusing it was to Sakura, seemed to aggravate the other girl for she suddenly spat maliciously. "Sounds like _someone's _a bit jealous."

"Of what? You're lying skills? Not really, because they're not very good to be honest with you. " Sakura sighed, not really caring what she had to say.

"Of _me._ Of the fact that you've been _replaced_. Sasuke-kun said that from now, based on my performance on that mission, that he intended for you to stay behind more often. I guess I'll be filling in for you a lot more often Pinky. You just don't _compare_." Sakura could hardly believe the poison coming from this woman's mouth. She began to lose control of her emotions.

_'Cool it Haruno. She's obviously not in her right mind.' _

Karin smiled largely, clearly pleased with the reactions she was eliciting from Sakura.

"Why do you think he turned up on your mission? Because he _cared?" _At this Karin chuckled. Sakura stiffened. That was exactly what she hoped was the case. "Aww you did! How...sweet. Sorry to break it to you, but he was sent by the Hokage, who didn't believe you could complete it alone. He didn't even want to be there. Clearly everyone knows you only a mediocre ninja. Even your teacher. It's only a matter of time before I replace you completely."

"You know what? I couldn't care less how your stupid mission went." She did care. "I don't care how much Sasuke wants me off this team." She did care. "You and '_Sasuke-kuuuun' _can do and think whatever the hell you want. I. Don't. Care!" She did care. She cared more than anything.

"I'm a better Ninja than you will ever dream to be, but if you're really so sad about that fact, you can go and cry to your precious Sasuke-kun for all I care." With that Sakura picked herself up and prepared to leave the training session. She despised her. She couldn't believe that Karin had the nerve to say those things to her. Not only that, but the fact that Sasuke had been a part of it. She didn't want to believe it, but considering the everything that had happened, she had trouble convincing herself that what Karin had said wasn't true.

Their little spat had attracted everyone's attention, particularly the Uchiha's. Sakura quickly stood and turned around to leave just as Sasuke turned to see what was causing all the noise.

Their eyes met and Sakura mustered the most powerful and loathing glare she could and shot it his way before turning rapidly and marching away. The look reflected everything she was feeling at this moment.

Sasuke was taken aback. Sakura had never looked at him like that. He was shocked at the amount of hatred was present in her eyes as she looked at him. Her cheeks were flushed and her body was rigid, and her eyes. Her eyes were the worst part. Brimming with angry tears, narrowed in disgust and anger. He almost felt as though he'd been burned.

He made a slight move to go after her and find out exactly what he'd done to deserve such a look, but he stopped in his tracks when he saw who stood end the end of the field.

Kiba stood still, Akamaru at his side, and watched as Sakura approached him, clearly furious and hurt. She walked up to him and as they spoke, Kiba wrapped an arm around her shoulders and lead her away from the grounds. Sasuke felt like killing him then and there. What was he doing here? Who did he think he was, touching her like that?

Sasuke subconsciously activated his Sharingan and glared as they moved farther and farther away.

He was pissed. About everything. He spun around lightning fast and motioned for Suigetsu to prepare to start fighting again. Karin sat grinning underneath the tree and watching as Sasuke fought more furiously than he could remember fighting in a long time.

It was safe to say that Suigetsu left the training field unconscious with many more serious injuries than usual.

***

Sakura brushed away angry tears as she lay spread out on her bed at home. She was so hurt and furious. After she'd stormed off, she'd met Kiba at the end of the field. He'd come to make sure they were still on for Tuesday, but he'd gotten much more than he'd anticipated.

He'd comforted her, wrapped his arm around her to make her feel better, walked her home, sat in her kitchen and listened to her vent all her frustration over Karin and Sasuke.

She was so grateful for everything he'd done for her and she felt a little guilty for subjecting him to so much when he'd only intended to speak with her for a couple of seconds.

She breathed out a heavy sigh and closed her eyes tightly. Tomorrow night, she would be enjoying his company once again and wouldn't have to deal with Sasuke or Karin for a while.

_'They don't want or deserve your company anyways. Screw 'em!' _Her inner roared inside her brain.

She sighed and picked herself up. Pushing all negative thoughts out of her mind. She walked to the front door and picked up a light jacket at the door. After pulling on her shoes, she left her small apartment and began walking towards Ino's home. She still needed to choose the outfit she'd be wearing tomorrow evening.

***

Sakura finished her shift at the hospital at five the next day. She wasn't technically allowed to work on the patients because that required chakra, but she had tons of paperwork to catch up on. She was literally exhausted once the day was over.

All day she'd worked incredibly hard, to keep her mind off...other things. Not only that, but she had also put in the extra energy to wear a mask of cheerfulness on her features all day, when all she wanted to do was smash everything in her office.

She checked the clock on her wall and breathed out a sigh of relief that she was allowed to go home. Suddenly she felt energized at the memory that today was her date with Kiba. She packed up all her belongings and left the hospital with a slight spring in her step.

All thoughts of Sasuke had been wiped away with all the excitement as she neared her home. That is... until she spotted him looking at her from across the street. Her face became stony and she picked up her pace on the way home.

Sasuke noticed her change in behaviour and, when she'd turned the corner, began to run in the direction of her apartment. He was one of the fastest nin in the village and he knew he could beat her home if he wanted to. And he did want to.

Sakura neared the doors to the apartment complex she lived in, but instead of the expected feeling of relief she'd predicted to feel when she neared the doorway, she was met with a feeling of dread. Sasuke was leaning against the wall beside the door with his hands buried into his pockets, a calm expression on his face.

Sakura breathed in a deep breath and marched towards him, avoiding his figure completely, her eyes focused solely on the door handle. She brushed past him and entered the building and sprinted up the stairs to her number, Sasuke following. She reached her door and unlocked it quickly. As she turned around to close it once she was inside, she met his eyes fr the first time and, once again, shot him the worst glare she could manage before slamming the door in his face.

Sasuke breathed in deeply and fought to keep his temper. Why was she doing this?! He hadn't done anything to deserve her scorn. Nothing_ recent_ anyways. He was determined to find out why she was acting the way she was.

He grabbed the handle of her door roughly and turned the knob so forcefully that he could hear the lock break. He forced his way through the door and marched into her living room.

"Sakura." He stated, trying to get her attention, though he was sure she knew he was in there. She was a ninja afterall.

"Uchiha! What the hell?! Get out! _Now._ " She turned to look at her now broken door. "You're going to pay for that, you know!" She added. "You can't just go around breaking doors down you ass!"

He simply crossed his arms and leaned back against the wall at the front entrance, refusing to move until he'd gotten exactly what he'd come for. Answers.

Sakura growled and moved towards him. She jabbed her finger into his chest (enforced with chakra to make it painful) " Who the _fuck _do you think you are?! You don't even want to be around me, but you assume you have to right to force yourself into my life?!"

"What are you talking about?" He asked coolly, ignoring his now bruised chest. He didn't understand her. Who'd said he didn't want her around.

"Please! Karin told me all about what you really think of me and your 'intentions' to keep me off missions so just save it you bastard!" She yelled at him.

"What?" He asked, surprised by this information.

"Don't bullshit me Uchiha! I know the you don't want me on the team anymore! You're little 'teammate' told me all about it!'

"And you believed her." He didn't even phrase it as a question. It was obvious that Sakura had believed every word of it, judging by her actions.

"Yeah. I do believe her, because it would be so typical of you to do something like that. It's not like you've ever really shown me any kindness whatsoever! Why shouldn't I believe her?!"

Sasuke didn't answer her. Why shouldn't she believe her? Maybe because he would never intentionally push her away, without a good reason. Maybe because she meant more to him than most people knew. Maybe because Karin was a liar and had always been jealous of Sakura. Maybe he because he lov-

Whoa. He stopped his train of thought. He didn't. He couldn't. He was getting carried away. Sasuke was _just_ about to leave her house to brood when Sakura said something that made him stay.

"Now leave Sasuke! I have a date with Kiba, in case you'd forgotten. Someone who treats me well and who _cares_ about me, even just a little bit. So get out of my home and out of my life. I hate you!"

The mention of the Inuzaka had awoken a fire inside him and he grabbed her wrists and switched their positions so that she was backed against the wall. He dropped her arms and slammed his fists into the wall beside her head, closing his eyes in frustration.

When he opened them again, Sakura found herself face to face with his blood red eyes.

The thought of Sakura going out with someone else had been bothering him, but now that she'd just confirmed that she was actually going...Sasuke lost control of his actions. He snapped. And now he wished he hadn't. This was dangerous territory. Her lips were so close. Only a couple of inches closer and they'd be touching.

"Sasuke! What the hell are you-?"

"Don't go." He murmured, anger consuming him completely.

Sakura narrowed her eyes. "Excuse me?" She demanded.

Sasuke leaned in a bit closer and said right next to her ear. "Don't. Go. With. Him." He pronounced clearly. He could feel her breathing. He didn't know what he was doing, nor why he was doing it, but he couldn't stop. Despite the fact that he'd just revealed a side of himself that she didn't know about. The part that thought of her as much more than a teammate.

Sakura struggled for breath. _'What...what is he doing...?'_ Her thoughts were all jumbled and it was hard to think at all. Sasuke, the man she'd dreamed about for years, the only man she'd ever really loved, the man she was supposed to be over, had just pushed her up against a wall.

She closed her eyes and breathed in his scent momentarily. His presence was fogging her mind. As wrong as this was, she hated to admit that she wished it wouldn't end. Soon, however, she came to her senses. She put her arms on his shoulders and pushed him away from her. For a moment she just looked at him. Then she remembered what he was and what he'd done...

She pulled back her arms and punched him square in the face. He fell away from her and glared at her, searching for an answer.

"I don't know what you think you're doing, Uchiha." She snarled. "But it won't work. You think you can just play with me? That I'll just do whatever you say because ...Because I..." She trailed off. "Well I won't! I _hate _you. More than anything in this world. I _hate _you."She was tired of crying. She didn't feel anything as she told him to leave. "Get out of my life. Please Sasuke. Just get out of here."

Sasuke didn't know why, but hearing her plead him to leave evoked something inside him. He picked himself up and walked out of her door without looking back. He didn't leave because he was angry. He didn't leave because he was sad. He left because it was what she wanted, because all that mattered to him now was that she got what she wanted. If she wanted him out, he'd leave. But he wouldn't leave completely. If she thought that he'd just sit back and watch some idiot try an win her affections, she was dead wrong.

Sakura gave one last, fleeting look at his retreating back before shutting the door and heading to her room, choosing to ignore the pain in her heart.

_'What just happened?'_ She pondered to herself before shaking her head and trying to clear her mind.

Sakura got dressed quickly into the outfit that her and Ino had chosen the night before. She spent about ten minutes with her hair, forming luscious waves out of her mid length pink hair. Halfway through the process Sakura just stared into the mirror, emotionless. Her fight with Sasuke hadn't even registered yet. She was in a numb reality and even still felt excited for her upcoming date.

Fifteen minutes later Kiba arrived at her home and knocked softly. He was surprised when the little force of his knock pushed the door open. He locked down at the doorknob and noticed that it was broken.

"Uhhh...Sakura. I think something happened to your door..."

***

Sakura walked alongside the Inuzaka, wearing a soft white summer dress, patterned with a very tiny flowered print. Her hair was wavy and she wore little makeup. She looked decent and Kiba coughed loudly when she'd emerged. Now, together, they walked down the street and made their way to a casual restaurant.

Kiba was chatting happily and Sakura laughed here and there, to show him that she cared about what he had to say. She smiled and wore a mask over her pain, so convincing that even she didn'trealise how upset she was.

They spoke over dinner, chatting casually. Kiba was a great guy and he had a natural way of making her laugh. She wanted desperately to have a good connection with him. Still, she was a bit distracted. Her thoughts kept returning to the Uchiha and everything that happened earlier.

_'Focus on Kiba, Haruno! He's the important one right now! At least__** try **__to be a decent date!'_ Her inner chided her. '_I don't know how! I've never been on a date before!' _She told herself in her mind. She was too busy conversing with herself to even consider the fact that maybe having conversations with herself wasn't a good sign. Being a good date was easier said than done.

Kiba suddenly shuffled a bit closer to her in their booth and she was at a loss at what to do.

_'Oh god. Oh god.' _her inner fretted. Kiba placed his arm around her shoulders and continued the conversation as though he hadn't done anything at all.

Sakura, however felt severely uncomfortable.

_'What do we do? What do we do?' _She didn't know what to do on a date, especially when the man she was with at the moment wasn't the one she was thinking about. She pictured every single soap opera or romance novel she'd ever seen. Should she place her hands on his thigh and pounce on the guy while making out with him furiously? Or should she slap him hard across the face as though he'd offended her and storm away? Sakura settled for patting his leg awkwardly.

_'Great. Now we're acting like his mother!' _She cursed inwardly. This was a disaster.

"Uhhh....Right." Kiba said awkwardly as he stared down at her hand which was still patting his leg. He pulled back his arm from around her shoulders and kept it stationary at his side.

"Sorry" Sakura groaned. "I've never done this before...I'm not really sure how to act." She admitted honestly. She was so embarrassed. The only times she could ever remember being so humiliated was when she was around Sasuke._ 'Sasuke...'_

Kiba chuckled "Don't worry about it Haruno. So how are you doing anyways? You know, being out of the hospital and everything?" He asked her while they ate. Sakura's thoughts however hadn't been on what he was saying, but instead on a certain black haired man.

"Hmm? Oh uh.."

_'Quickly Haruno! It's time to use your brain and answer! You don't want to offend him by showing him you weren't listening! Just make something up!'_

"I'm uhh.. I'm personally against it." She answered. Kiba looked at her as though she'd just grown another head.

"Uhh..What?" He asked her, laughing, clearly confused with what she'd said.

"I personally don't believe in it. I think there are...other methods of...doing..that...?" She elaborated.

Kiba burst out laughing. "You feeling alright?"

"Of course I am...Well...actually not really...I don't know! I guess I'm just a bit distracted, that's all." She answered truthfully, drifting into thought.

"I kind of assumed that." He stated looking directly into her eyes though she was lost in her own mind. "What with the angsty Uchiha's running around."

"What? No. No no no. That's not it at all Kiba!" Sakura covered up. He was not on her mind. She hated him. She didn't care about him.

"If you say so." He said giving her a look. It was clear he wasn't buying it. "Maybe we should just go and take a walk ...and then I'll walk you home."

Sakura nodded and stood up. Kiba took her hand and led her out of the small restaurant and out into the street. Together they walked in the direction of the park, but Sakura's thoughts weren't there. They were where they always seemed to be, with the black haired arse that seemed to have a permanent grasp on her mind and heart.

***

Sasuke was sitting stiffly in a tree across the road from the quaint restaurant that the two of them had gone to.

Sakura may have wanted him out of her life, but he did not want her out of his. Therefore, though she wanted him to stay away from her, he'd still make sure that that dog didn't do anything.

He found it absurd that after the intense fight they'd just had and the emotion that had welled up in both of them, he was still following them and leaning against a tree watching them. It really didn't make sense. Abruptly, he was pulled out of his thoughts when he witnessed the Inuzaka placing his arm aorund her shoulders.

_'Get away from her.'_ He thought maliciously _'Don't you dare touch her.'. _Unfortunatly, he was jerked out of his thoughts when he heard someone talking to him from a little ways away.

'-do you think you're doing teme?" Naruto stood a few feets away from him, staring at him with a mocking expression on his face.

"Go away Dobe." Sasuke muttered as he attempted to continue watching the two across the street. The blond followed his gaze and clapped a hand to his mouth, fighting to control a furious laughing fit._"_Areyou_ spying _on them_...?" _Naruto asked.

"Hn." Suddenly, the Sharingan user was afraid that his cover would be blown by the sheer volume of the idiot's laughter.

"If you don't shut the hell up, _Dead Last_, your going to wish you _were _dead." Sasuke murmured ruefully. He wasn't even spying. He was supervising, making sure that the dog lover didn't try anything with her. God knew she wouldn't be able to take care of herself.

Soon, he stopped thinking about his predicament with Naruto when he spotted Sakura touching the Inuzaka's leg. He cracked his knuckles loudly, his jaw set. What was she doing?!

"Looks like Sakura and Dog breath are getting kinda cozy ne? Do you think they're hitting it off?" Naruto asked him loudly with a lone mocking eyebrow raised. Sasuke was jealous and he was going to use it to his full advantage. He was rewarded when Sasuke attempted to murder Kiba with just a look. "What's wrong Teme? You're not...jealous..? Are you?" Naruto taunted. It was obvious that his friend liked the girl, even if he couldn't see it himself.

Sasuke simply death glared him and slammed him backwards int a tree, where he hit his head.

"Dobe."

"Hein?" Naruto grunted as he regained balance. "Bastard! You just wait! I'll get you back for that! Just because you're angry that Sakura's out with Kiba instead of you doesn't mean you can just take your anger out on others. Just tell her!" Naruto ranted as he ran to catch up with the retreating Uchiha.

"Mind your own business." Sasuke growled. He strode around until he found a larger tree before disappearing into the branched and lounging against the trunk. Naruto was close at his heels and stopped on the ground below the branches. Sasuke settled down and leaned to continue observing the pair across the road...only to discovery that they were no longer there.

_'Shit.'_ He swore inwardly. He jumped down from the branch and headed off to find the two of them Who knew what that creep was doing to her now that he'd let them out of his sight. Stupid dobe, always distracting him.

"Now where are you going Teme?!" Naruto shouted after him. Sasuke didn't answer. He was too busy scanning everywhere for Sakura and her stupid date.

***

"Kiba, thank you so, _so_ much. I had a lot of fun with you." Sakura told him once they'd gotten to the entrance of her apartment. Together they'd gone to the park in Konoha and walked around for almost an hour. They spoke casually and Sakura tried with all her might to make sure she focused on him. She began to have a really great time with him, laughing and talking to him like a real friend.

She had been holding his hand the whole way home and only now did he drop it. He smiled and scratched the back of his head.

"Yeah. I did too." They stood there silently for a second in a comfortable silence, not sure what to do, but still not awkward with each other.

Sakura moved to speak but Kiba beat her to it.

"Listen Haruno. I had a really great time today, I did. But I don't think you should be doing this..." He said to her, his eyes crinkled upwards in an understanding smile.

Sakura's forehead crinkled in confusion. "What do you mean, "doing this"? Doing what?"

"Lying to yourself." Kiba finished. He gave her a look that told her that he knew what (or, more appropriately, who) her thoughts were dwelling on. He lifting a hand and pushed a piece of her hair back. Sakura began to speak but Kiba grabbed her chin and pushed her jaw upwards, closing it so quickly that one could hear her teeth collide.

"Now. Before you deny it, or make any kind of nutty excuse, I want you to really be honest with yourself. You can't spend your time going out with a bunch of guys when there's only one that you want."

Sakura grabbed his hand and pushed it away from her gently, allowing herself to speak.

"You just don't get it. I can't...Care about _him_. He's rude and _selfish_. He doesn't care about me at all, Kiba! He hates me! Every little thing that I do, he hates it!" She was no longer looking at Kiba. She was staring at the stars above her heads, trying to force the tears to stay behind her eyelids.

"He's arrogant and he's pigheaded and stubborn. Sasuke has never liked me and he will never _ever_ like me. He thinks he knows exactly what's best for me and that he needs to be right there to protect me because I'm not able to do it myself. Because I'm _weak_..." The tears were beginning to push their way out.

"And do you know what the _worst _part is? The worst part is that he's right! I am weak. I have done nothing to prove him wrong. I'm in the hospital every other week, crying every other _day,_ thinking about _him _every other minute. _"_

Kiba started to intervene. "Sakura you are _not _weak. You know that's not true and deep down you know that Sasuke doesn't believe it either. He knows you're strong. He only does that shit because he's worried something might happen to you. Not the best methods I know, but the best intentions."

Sakura looked into his eyes for the first time since the topic of Sasuke came up. "You're just being nice. How can I want someone who doesn't believe in me? Kiba, he's been trying to get me to stay behind on missions more often! That not worry Kiba, that's _horrible _and _deceitful_."

The tears had finally begun to escape, rolling down her cheeks "I can't care about him. I don't care about him. Not anymore. I _can't._" Sakura was sobbing now. Earlier, her fight with the Uchiha had rolled off her shoulder but it had just hit her now.

"You told me that you didn't think I should be seeing other guys when I want someone else. But that's _why _I have to. Because I want him. But it h-hurts to mu-much to want- want him. It h-hurts_ so_ much to wa-want som- somet-thing that you can _ne-never have." _

Sakura cried and leaned forwards into Kiba's chest. Kiba looked over her slender shoulder and spotted someone who could probably handle this better than he could.

"Sakura. I want to show you something. You say he doesn't care about you, he hates you and doesn't want anything to do with you. Now I'm going to prove you wrong." Once he finished his sentence he leaned down and kissed her lips. The kiss wasn't real though. Their lips stayed perfectly still and Sakura felt absolutely nothing. She was about to break away and ask him exactly what this was supposed to prove but someone beat her to it.

Suddenly, perfectly according to Kiba's plan, a fist collided painfully with the side of his face so hard that he was thrown backwards into the concrete wall.

"_Sasuke_?! What the-" Sakura screamed, shocked by his sudden appearance. She had no idea he'd been there.

"Hn." He grunted quickly before bending over and grabbing the front of the now dazed Kiba's shirt. Kiba opened his eyes, attempting to ignore the throbbing and searing pain in his head, and gazed unblinkingly into blood red eyes. A large smile crept slowly onto his face and he chanced a meaningful glance at Sakura.

Sasuke caught this and shoved him away. "Leave." He muttered to the Inuzaka.

"Whatever you say Uchiha." Kiba said. "Bye Sakura-_chan" _He said with a wolfish grin across his features. Sakura blinked staring at the back of Sasuke's form. He'd stiffened and spun around lightning fast and glared at her. Across the street Sakura distinctly heard Kiba call to her, "See?!"

Sakura glared right back at the man in front of her.

"Sasuke." She ground out dangerously, "You have no right to do that to the people I care about." She was speaking slowly, trying to keep her temper at bay.

"He was all over you. You should be smarter than that Sakura. You're _supposed _to be responsible." He spat at her, his form still rigid with anger.

"Hows this for responsible you inconsiderate ass!? I'm cutting you out of my life, which is probably the most _responsible _decision I've ever made." Sakura yelled before spinning around and marching into her apartment. She slammed the door harder than usual, infusing her hand with chakra. The door nearly flew off it's hinges but she hardly noticed. She slid backwards against the wall and slammed her head backward. Again and again.

_'That was a fluke Haruno. It didn't mean anything. It didn't mean **anything.**' _Tears continued to roll down her face. Never before had she felt so broken and confused, so upset. And it was all because of one man.

Sakura began to think about her list. She needed to get over him. Because for the first time since the beginning of her personal mission, Sakura fully understood, as much as she hated it, that she was still in love with Sasuke Uchiha.

She decided that she would try to date and flirt whenever she could, because as Kiba had shown her tonight, they could teach her a lot about herself. Kiba had shown her what she'd been trying to deny to herself for so long, that no matter what she'd done so far, her heart still belonged to the stoic idiot. He had also made her realize that maybe Sasuke cared more than he showed her. He'd given her hope, which showed her that there were decent guys out there. That maybe she could learn to love one of them instead.

_'Step Nine: Complete.'_

To Be Continued

***

**A/N: SOOOO?! What did you guys think! Please review now! Did you like the little bit of Sasuke-fluff there? I hope so! This fic is almost over! Only about three more chapters to go! And i've got the ending all written out already so you'll just have to wait ^^ THANKS FOR READING AND I'M SORRY FOR THE WAIT! **

**ps: Sorry for any typos! But honestly? Proofreading an 11 000 plus chapter is just not my forte! please just pass over them! My word caught a lot of them but they might be hiding in there somewhere...**


	11. Searching For Answers

**A/N: HEY GUYS! So here's the next chappy. It is DEFINITELY not as long as the last one I made that one longer because everyone said they were looking forwards to that one. I have to admit, I kind of like this chappy. It's really just a filler, nothing huge happens. But I like the ending, because you know...I'm really just a huge SasuSaku shipper at heart ^^ **

**Please Read and Review! I know those are basically the words that people read over and ignore to get to the story, But I'm _really_ asking you guys. This chapter is over seven thousand words long. For everyone who reads without reviewing...Think about that. You just read over seven THOUSAND of my words, please let me read just five or six of yours! I swear I'll be squeezing my face like an insane person if you do ^^ **

**I hope you like this chapter. It's nothing huge** **but I still hope you like it! UNTIL NEXT TIME :D (that one's for you **shkh4ever!) **Bye guys! *realises suddenly* Oh my god! Only a couple more chappies! *freaks out* **

_Disclaimer: *sigh* Really? You don't get it yet? I-Do-Not-Own-Naruto! Jeez guys. *shakes head* XD XD_

The Road To Recovery

_10. If the man ever insults you, shun him. Why on earth should you sit down and take it? You are a strong woman and he has no right to put you down! If he does, counter it with an equally scathing remark and then proceed to give him the cold shoulder. It's high time for him to stop assuming that, just because you WERE in love him, he has the right to insult you as much as he wants, without suffering the consequences! _

***

Sasuke couldn't believe it. He was pissed beyond all natural belief. There weren't words to describe the murderous feelings welling up inside him. He hadn't felt like this in a long time.

She was the most infuriating woman...She thought he didn't care, she thought he didn't want her around. So when he finally showed that he did care, she pushed him away. She claimed that she loved him, she'd screamed it out to him before he left. So now he found her in the arms of another guy?

_'Why can't she make up her damn mind?'_ He cursed inside himself. He couldn't even waste the time to think about how much he wanted to murder the Inuzaka for kissing the woman who was only ever intended to kiss _one _man. And that incidently, was definitely not Kiba.

He was pacing outside her door, still sgitated from what happened between them.

That idiot had kissed her. On the lips.

Sasuke hated this. Though at the time he didn't understand it, this feeling inside him, the anger and the hatred, the inexplicable craving to pummel the man...was envy. He was envious. Something inside him, something he didn't quite clue in on, wished that they had switched postions.

That he was the one to spend time with the girl. To make her laugh. To hold her hand. To kiss her. And Kiba would be the one standing outside her door alone, scorned and bubbling with anger, watching her live her life in someone else's company.

But Sasuke was oblivious to what this all meant. He had convinced himself that he was angry because she was his teammate and didn't need a distraction like Kiba getting in the middle of everything.

That was it. He let out a deep shuddering breath, that he hadn't known he'd been holding and ran a frustrated hand through his hair.

He wasn't ready to go home. He would probably just trash it anyways. He walked to the wall in front of her door and slid to the ground, crossed his legs and closed his eyes. Just liked he'd done a few month's ago when Sakura refused to leave her apartment.

He told himself that it was just because Kiba might come back to her. But it was really because he didn't want to leave her.

***

Sakura awoke the next morning and just laid in bed for moments on end. Staring at the ceiling above her, thinking about nothing. She was just staring. The sun shone through the window and the reflection from the glass created a rainbow pattern on the plaster above her.

The colours blended together and formed such a simple, yet beautiful design. Sakura wished for a moment that she could just stay inside all day long and watch it. A form of beauty, innocent and simple, in a world that was just so screwed up.

She blinked. She was stuck. She couldn't look away. She couldn't bring herself to do it. Her day was sure to be sucky. Her eyes were tired from crying. Her heart was sore from worrying over the same things over and over again. The choice between going outside into the world and dealing with all her problems and staying inside all day, watching her tiny spectrum of colours was a difficut one.

She just could not believe how screwed up her life was.

Sasuke had confused the hell out of her last night. He'd cornered her in her apartment and shoved her against a wall, then he'd punched Kiba for kissing her. And yet he was conspiring with Karin to get her to stay behind. He had meddled in all her affairs and effectively ruined the ending of her night. He'd insulted her and hurt her as well.

_'Not responsible? Not smart? What is that supposed to mean?!'_

She really did dislike him right now. How could one man make her so angry and upset, but still hold her heart in the palm of his hand?

How could she still love him despite all of his flaws? Like the fact that his temper was way too short, like hers. Uncontrollable even. Or the fact that he was so confidant in himself that it verged on egotistical.

_'Who are we kidding? Verging on? Honey, I'm pretty sure it has **surpassed** egotistical.' _

And that stupid smirk! Would it kill the guy to _smile? _

Also the fact that he was so strong that he became cocky and rude. The fact that he was cold and frigid towards her and never showed her his emotions. The fact that he had left but never really said sorry. He'd never sorry about _anything ever _in his life. Close yes, but the word , five letters, two vowels four consenants, had never exited his lips. The fact that he never trusted her or believed in her skills or let her into his life.

But there were things Sakura couldn't deny that she liked. Hell, that she even _loved _about him. He saved her whenever she was in need. If he was with her, she almost never had to fear for her own life. He was concerned in his own...special way about her well being. He'd certainly worried about her relationships with other men. He was giving. Though he tried to hide it as much as he could or would complain about it, she'd often seen him paying Naruto's tab at Ichiraku's, buying the next round of drinks when the group went out.

He was protective. She couldn't count the number of times she'd watched him leave a bar with a swaying and clearly drunk Naruto, making sure the idiot got home in one piece. And when ever an enemy ever dared touch her or any of his comrades too roughly, they were garunteed dead in the next five minutes. And he definitely had conviction and determination. No matter his goals, you could be sure he'd accomplish them. Whether they were good or bad (Sakura's mind strayed to Itachi suddenly) he would always accomplish them.

He was also, in some ways (though not all ways) mature. She'd never heard him make a racy comment about a woman or stare at any woman's chest, which was a feat in itself. After years of living with the snake pedophile himself, Sakura figured his hormones would be raging.

He could also make her laugh. Never intentionally of course. He just wasn't that type of guy. But his manurisms and his reactions could get her giggling. As well as his crazy habits. A tomato based diet. An obsession of weapon cleaning. A great disdain for fangirls. All of his quirks could reduce her to fits.

She rolled her eyes. All this thinking was serving no other purpose other than to confuse and infuriate her even further. Still, these good thoughts about him couldn't change the fact that she was angry. She didn't hate him. No matter how she wanted to, but she was definitely furious with him for everything he'd done.

Sighing, she rolled over onto her side and stared out the window. In her position, the only thing she could see was the blue sky outside. Only a few wispy clouds lingered above and the very last traces of the sunrise colours were fading, leading the way into late morning.

A bird sung in a tree somewhere and another flew across her field of vision and she felt that whatever was waiting for her in town, it could never be half so peaceful as this moment. But she couldn't avoid it. She sat in bed and looked grudgingly towards her closet, knowing that in a few moments she'd have to get up and move towards it.

_'Meh. Let's just get this over with." _

She reached into the mess on the floor inside her closet and yanked out the stiff leather she was looking fo. Her weapon's pouch dangled in front of her eyes and she stared at it apprehensively. She knew that it wasn't accomplishing it's task yet. And she didn't think she could bear it if the step required her to be in close contact with the Uchiha.

She might throw up if it did. She reached into the side pocket, feeling the familiar texture of the worn out paper slip. She closed her eyes and pulled it out quickly. She slowly opened them and scanned her next.

For the first time that morning, as she read the next step, Sakura smiled.

_'Bring it on.'_

_*** _

Sakura pinned back her hair and checked herself out in the mirror for what seemed the fiftieth time that morning. She was wearing her hair up for a change and decided to wear a pair of jeans shorts and a simple, yet flattering white tank top. She wasn't going to lie to herself. If she was going to shun the Uchiha and make him regret being an ass to her, she wanted to look extra good doing it.

_'Show him exactly what he's missing.' _Her inner muttered.

Sakura, though with a newfound energy, still wished more than anything that she could stay inside and hideaway from all of her problems. After a longing glance back towards her bed and the open window, she turned, nodded approavingly towards the full length mirror which she'd been staring at for a while, and left her apartment towards the hospital.

***

"Sakura-chan! Wait up!" A loud voice called out.

Sakura turned around to glimpse her friend start running in her direction. Naruto laughed and waved to get her attention. Sakura also noticed that behind him walked someone else. Sasuke looked broody and menacing as they neared her on the street.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto exclaimed once again.

"Hn." Was the only greeting she received from the uptight Uchiha.

"Ohayou Naruto!" She said brightly. She didn't even glance in the other's direction.

"Ohayou! Sorry to bother you Sakura. We were just wondering when you were going to come back to training. We've _all-_" Naruto elbowed his friend sharply in the side as he said this.

"-missed having you around." He finished.

Usually Sasuke would have muttered insults under his breath and walked away from the idiot, but he stayed quiet and momentarily forgot his friend's stupidity. He was actually interested in the answer. He wasn't going to ever admit it out loud, but Naruto's statement wasn't necessarily untrue.

_'Hn. What am I thinking...?' _he thought angerly to himself. He forced himself to pay attention to what she was saying.

Sakura giggled lightly. "That's really sweet of you to say but I'm pretty sure that You, Kakashi and Sai get along fine without me."

Whoa. Hold it. Stop right there and rewind. Naruto and Sasuke both froze at her answer because it was just so unlike her. Naruto eyes had even widened a bit. Naruto, Kakashi and Sai. _Naruto, Kakashi and Sai? _Whatever happened to Sasuke? She was acting as though he weren't even part of the team.

"I'm not totally sure if I'm going to be train with the team anytime soon. I haven't had much time at the hospital. Once my Chakra usage is fully returned again I think I might spend my time there and train on my own."

"But Sakura-chan! What about us?!" Came the whiny reply from her close friend.

"Well like I said, you guys will be _fine_. In fact, lately I haven't really been a crucial part of the team anyways. What with injuries and...other things." Sakura explained. She was shunning him, but like the list said: reply with an equally scathing remark. It never said anything about doing it indirectly. She was replying to his pigheadedness by envoking guilt.

To his face or not, her reply had done it's job. Sasuke flinched inwardly, knowing exactly to what she was referring. He couldn't help but feel a bit irritated, though. She really needed to let it go. He asked that she be left behind strictly for her own safety, not because of anything else. Why couldn't she understand that? And the incident with Kiba, well that was also to protect her from him.

_'Che. Annoying.'_

"Anyways. If you guys need a chick, I'm sure Karin would be _more_ than willing to step in for me. I'm sure you boys wouldn't have problem with that...right?" Sakura said sweetly.

_'Ding ding ding ding! Sakura: Two. Cold Hearted Bastard: Zero. Zippo. Zilch, Nadda!' _

Sakura smiled brightly and waved her hand casually as she turned to go, leaving two shocked (one feeling slightly stung and certainly guilty) boys in her wake. It took a few seconds before Naruto shook his head and ran after her. No doubt to get the details on her date with Kiba and to find out what exactly was going on.

It took Sasuke a bit longer to recover. He ran his fingers through his hair, turned on his heel and left, the girls words still ringing in his ears.

***

"Hold on Sakura-chan! What the hell was that?!" Naruto called after her.

"What?" She asked, even though she knew exactly what he was talking about.

"Don't give me that. We both know that you aren't normally one to entirely ignore Teme. You're not fooling me." He said with his eyebrow raised.

Sakura sighed but reseigned to filling him in. He was one of her best friends afterall.

She told him everything, from her list to her date to the fight afterwards and how all of it now lead to the fact that she was now pretending that he didn't even exist. Naruto would sometimes burst out with comments that he couldn't hold inside himself, but other than that, he listened attentively.

"Here." She said quickly and she thrusted a worn piece of paper at him. Naruto just stared blankly at it before reaching out and grasping it. Sakura chose to hazard a look at his reaction. Naruto was just staring unblinkingly at the words. Occaisionally she'd see an expression of dawning comprehension, or an amused eyebrow. But as he lifted his eyes to hers, they no longer held any amusement.

"Do- Do you really want to do this Sakura-chan?" He finally asked quietly.

Sakura just looked at him and told him without thinking.

"Yeah I do Naruto. I can't forgive him just yet and honestly, I'm just tired." She replied unflinchingly.

He understood immediately what she meant when she said she was tired.

"As long as you don't regret pushing him away," Naruto said rationally "Then I guess..Well I'm not going to stop you am I? No probably not." He laughed as he noticed the signs of her facial expression beginning to change to one of defiance. "Good Luck Sakura-chan. I better go back to training, cause you know Teme. He gets moody when he's not abusing something" With that he took off away from her. Sakura stayed rooted to the spot where she stood.

'_As long as you don't regret pushing him away.' _She remembered Naruto's words. Would she? Her head told her that she wouldn't regret anything, but her heart was a silent reminder that she already did.

***

"Good Morning Uchiha-san!" was the greeting Sasuke received as he sat on the sterile and scratchy paper atop the hospital bed.

"Hn." The man replied.

"My name is Miyumi. You're here..." At this she flipped the top page on her clipboard and scanned the paper. "To be healed due to injuries sustained on a recent mission and for your usual monthly check up." She spoke the words in a high, sugary tone that irritated him and rang in his ears. Her cheeks flushed as she spoke the last two words. She was about to see _the _Uchiha Sasuke shirtless.

Rolling his eyes, Sasuke made no effort to hide his lack of enthusiasm. Two things were on his mind at the moment. Who was this woman and where was Sakura? Everybody knew that she was the only who ever performed his medical appointments. Either because she was the most talented medic nin in Konoha or because she was the only one who didn't scream and faint at the sight of his bare chest.

"Well, I suppose we should begin Uchiha-san. If you could please remove your-

"Where is Dr. Haruno?" Sasuke asked in a cold voice, cutting the girl off mid sentence.

"Uh...I- What?" Miyumi asked startled and slightly frightened at the ice in his tone.

"_Where _is Sakura?" He repeated slowly.

The young woman didn't bother to hide the disappointment on her face as he mentioned the other woman.

"Sakura-san sent me specifically to attend to you. I'm sure she wouldn't have done so if she didn't have confidence in my-"

"Go get her." Came another interruption.

"I- I can't Uchiha-san. She asked that you be treated by someone else today. She's busy with other patients. I swear that I'm more than capable of helping you! Why do you always need her?! She no better than the rest of us!" But this time she was shocked once again as he stood up and marched towards the door. But what he heard next made him stop in his tracks, his hand freezing on the door handle.

"She doesn't want to see you!" The girl called. Sharingan blazing, Sasuke stopped in his tracks, turned around quickly and glared at her. His eyes narrowed at her outburst.

"Why?" His question came out as almost a growl.

"I don't know. If you'd just give me a chance to-" She began again. She was getting tired of the man not listening to her as he marched over to the bed and sat upon it roughly. She briefly wondered how Haruno could stand it.

"Hn." This was all he said as he ripped off his shirt, crossed his arms and waiting for the imcompetant girl to begin. The sooner she started healing, the sooner he'd be out of there. He couldn't stop thinking about what the girl had to him though.

_'She won't even come near me.'_ He snarled inside his mind.

He growled as he heard the familiar, but no less infuriating, thud as the girl fell to the ground unconcious

_'Tch. Fangirls.'_

***

Sakura worked endlessly at the hospital all the next week, filling out forms, reading about new patients and healing a few cases. She didn't go to training once. Anything to avoid Sasuke. She could use her Chakra by now, scarcely on her Shishou's orders, but she could use a small fraction of it just the same. So she was just using it as an excuse to torture him. She spent just as much effort on her personal mission.

She made it a point to take the long way home and steer clear of the Uchiha manor, she'd been vigilent in sending different nurses to check up on him at the hospital whenever he was injured, she only ever accepted offers to go to Ichiraku's if the black haired man was not present and not once had she dropped in on one of team seven's practice sessions.

What she didn't quite understand that her tactics were working a little too well. Sasuke had been getting more and more frustrated with her absence in his life. He was confused and angry and though he'd never admit it, he missed her. His day to day life just wasn't the same. Uchiha's liked routine, and over the years she'd become a reletively indispensible part of his. Sasuke just couldn't take much more of it. He needed to do something about it.

Everybody knew that Uchiha men weren't one's to let things work themselves out.

She wondered frequently about how her friends were doing at training, but then thoughts of Sasuke and Karin popped into her mind and she forced herself not to concentrate on it.

She looked up, after a day of hard work. Her vision was blurry from staring at the small print on all of her paperwork. Sakura gasped when she saw what time it was. It was way past her hours and knowing her luck, it was probably dark outside.

_'Why did I stay so long..?'_ She thought to herself, shocked at how easily she'd lost herself in her work.

Standing up, the pinkette snapped her books shut and grabbed her jacket from the rack in the corner. Sakura pulled the sleeves on as she walked out the doors but she discovered as she stepped out into the biting night air that her coat wasn't going to help much against the chilly wind outside. Fall was upon them and made itself apparent with bitter breezes and a warmthless sun.

The trip home wasn't _too_ long, and she knew as a Kunoichi that she shouldn't be nervous about walking home. But she was. She had to take the long way around due to her list and that route wasn't as familiar to her.

_'And there are plenty of horny pervs out here.' _Her inner grumbled inside her mind. Crap.

***

_'She was supposed to have come home by now' _Sasuke thought to himself as he leaned against a tree. He'd been waiting for her since five o'clock that night. He wasn't an idiot, he knew she was avoiding him.

He also was fairly sure that he knew why. But this little phase of hers just wasn't working for him. He could spot every single tell tale sign of her deliberate choice to steer clear of him. Everytime he was injured and sent to the hospital for healing, he was greeting by a giddy nurse who could barely muster enough chakra for half of his cuts. After every check up, his ears were ringing with their high pitched voices, begging for dates.

She never came to training. He was forced to deal with Karin on a day to day basis as well, with all of her annoyances. Sakura was annoying, but he could stand her faults. Karin's were beyond tolerance.

Sakura also seemed to be avoiding her normal route home. Daily she'd walk past his house at ten after five. It was the fastest way but it was also the way in which he could make sure she wasn't getting herself into some kind of trouble again.

But because of her temper and grudge-holding he was thrown off balance. His days were marred by her absence and now. Now he was going to put a stop to it.

Or at least he'd been planning to. He'd settled himself on a tree that was on her new path home. He knew she'd come that way. He was going to shake some sense into her if he had to. But his planning and strategies were foiled by the fact that she just wasn't coming home. It was five. Eventually it became six. Sasuke rolled his eyes and jumped into the branches of the tree.

If she wasn't going to come on time, he'd just have to wait for her. Six became seven, seven became eight, eight became nine. And still Sakura was no where in sight.

_'Hn. Stupid girl.' _He thought vehemently to himself. Suddenly he could hear quiet footsteps coming towards the place he was resting in. He hid his Chakra and waited. If she knew he was there, she surely turn around or bolt, making everything more difficult than it needed to be.

_'There you are.' _

***

Suddenly over head Sakura heard a faint rustle in the tree up ahead. She stopped in her tracks and listened. Was someone waiting to attack her? Her Chakra wasn't at it's peak yet and after such a long day of work she knew she was in no state to fight off some rapist.

_'Shit. It's probabaly just a bird. Just a bird in the tree, Haruno.' _She assured herself. Slowly and infitely more cautiously, Sakura continued moving forwards. Once she was under the branches of the tree she reached into her weapons pouch which was slung loosely around her hips.

_'I know you're up there...'_ She thought. With lightning speed, she flung three Kunai up into the leaves, hoping they'd be enough to ward off any type of attacker. Just as quickly as she'd thrown them they were flung back and landed right before her feet. As she stared at her weapons embedded in the ground, the hidden person jumped from the branch and grabbed both of her wrists holding her in place.

"You?!-Mphm...!" She yelled indignantly before a hand was clasped upon her mouth. Oh the nerve of this guy! Imagine Sasuke, hiding in a tree to corner her.

_'Creeper! Stalker!' _

"Hn." He grunted.

She snarled against the inside of his palm, avoided his gaze and fought to release her wrists from his tight hold. With one hand over her mouth and the other holding both of her wrist in a vice like grip, Sakura knew she was stuck for the time being.

"Sakura." He stated calmly. She refused to look at him. She wouldn't give in.

_'Shun him! Get him to let go and get out of here! Don't give him the satisfaction!' _Her inner cheered inside her brain, like her own personal Anti-Sasuke coach.

"Sakura. Look at me" He said coldly and he released her mouth and grabbed her chin, forcing her face to look at him. Her eyes still focused downwards however.

"Dammit look at me!" He was losing his temper. She narrowed her eyes and wrenched her chin out of his grasp. He didn't say it loudly, but the tone of his voice was enough to send a shudder through her.

"No thanks. I'd rather _not_." She said coldly, pulling her wrist out of his strong grip, and she proceeded to begin walking away from him.

"I know you've been avoiding me." She heard him say behind her. All of a sudden he was standing in front of her with his hands in his pockets. "Why?"

She didn't answer him. The last thing she wanted to do right now was divulge all of her secrets to this man she hated to love.

"Why." It wasn't a question this time. It was a demand for an answer. Sakura snarled and whirled around and finally met his eyes for the first time in a couple weeks.

"Che. Don't pretend like you don't know why!" She snapped at him. Once again she was grabbed by the wrist and slammed against a tree.

"_Why." _He hissed at her. "Tell me exactly why you're doing this." He said. His face was close to hers and it remind of the only other time they'd been this close to one another. She didn't want to think about how much she actually liked having him so near to her. Before she could stop herself she was snapping another insult at him.

"Let's just say that I'm _'Severing my bonds'_ with you Sasuke. I won't bother explaining. You know all about that don't you? You've had lots of practice." She whispered menacingly before gathering enough Chakra in the palm of her hand and shoving him away from her and storming off.

Sasuke was in shock. She must have really been upset with him to bring that up. She'd never been one to hold it against him. As far as he knew she forgave him. Her words stung him and cut him like a blade.

The Uchiha was speechless at how cold and bitter her words were. He turned and looked at her quickly retreating back with her fist clenching at her sides. Was it his fault that she had become so...cruel..?

***

_'Oh my god.' _Inner Sakura murmured inside of her. _'How- how could we stoop so low...?' _

Tears welled up inside of her eyes. She wasn't a mean person. This wasn't who she was. She hated herself for saying that to the man she cared for.

The next few days, Sakura continued to ignore him. But this time it was not out of anger or a desire to punish him. It was out of shame. The weather in Konoha seemed to mirror her mood. Since the incident with Sasuke had taken place, rain rolled over the village. Dark, ebony clouds hung over the town and showered them all in water. Sakura never felt more guilty.

She threw herself into her work, which seemed to be her habit when she was feeling particularily bad about herself. Sasuke may have hurt her by wanting her to stay behind, but she had gone too far as well. She was so confused now. She didn't know what to do. She was torn between wanting to hate him forever and wanting to tackle him to the ground and kiss the very life right out of him.

But she was mad him. He hadn't even admitted to what he'd been planning. What he really wanted.

A small voice at the back of her head suggested that maybe...maybe he hadn't wanted her to stay behind at all. Maybe Karin had really just been making malicious lies. Maybe he did go after her that day because of other reasons other than the Hokage's orders. Maybe he did...care.

However, she would never know the truth. There was no one who could show her any proof...

Suddenly as she sat hunched over her desk, focusing hard on something other than her personal turmoil, she was struck with a revelation. Her head shot upwards quickly. There was someone. She felt stupid for not thinking of it earlier. Sakura might have spared herself many hours of worrying if she'd just realised...

She stood up abruptly and left the room in a hurry.

_'Shishou...' _

_*** _

Kunai after Kunai collided with the wooden figure in front of him. Each throw grew in force. Each shot inflicted more damage to the dummy.

He couldn't get her off his mind. She was still staying away from him, and he was getting more and more upset. Sasuke couldn't explain why, but he knew he wouldn't be happy until she was back by his side for twelve hours a day.

He pulled out his Katana and stood with it unsheathed. He stared at it for a moment, suspended in front of him. He looked at the blade and could see himself within the reflection. He snarled and plunged the blade into the wooden dummy. He didn't want to see himself, because for some unknown reason, he didn't feel like himself. Something was missing.

He kept training, even as thunder boomed overhead and prepared to unleash a couple days of pent up rain upon the village. Sasuke paid no heed and continued what he was doing.

He was numb and he was glad. Anything to distract him for the turmoil that one pink haired woman had caused in his life.

_'Get **out** of my head!' _

***

Tsunade looked up at she heard the door slamming open. She quirked an eyebrow annoyed at being disrupted so rudely. She opened her mouth to berate whomever it was, but her mouth shut when she saw the distressed looking girl standing in front of her.

"Shishou." She breathed before hurrying forwards into the room.

"Sakura. What is it?" The older woman asked worriedly.

Sakura placed her hands directly on the desk of her master and spoke in a rushed and pained tone. She wanted answers.

"Please Shishou. I need to ask you something. Please, please tell me the truth!" She spoke hurriedly.

"That depends on the question Sakura. As Hokage there are obviously some things that-" She began. Sakura just shook her head from side to side.

"It's not like that. It's not a private matter of the village. Please promise me an truthful answer." Tsunade gazed into the girl's eyes and saw the same stubborn fire she'd seen in them several times before.

"Very well." The woman placed her fingers together and stared at her student over the tops of them.

"I need to know. That day, when I left the village on my solo mission, you remember..." Sakura began with closed eyes. Tsunade nodded that she understood to which she was referring.

"Sasuke...He turned up there. He followed me and he was there that night. I need to know. Karin said- Karin said-" Sakura stalled here. She was afraid to know the truth. What if she found out that her teacher had really sent him and that everything Karin had shot at her as true.

"Karin said that you- you sent him after me, because you didn't think I could do it. She send the only reason he came that night was under your orders. Please tell whether that is the truth or not... I need to know."

Tsunade's eyebrows knitted together and closed her eyes. She'd noticed her student's change of behaviour over the past few weeks and now she knew the reason behind it.

"Listen to me Sakura, carefully. You need to know this." Sakura took in a deep breath.

_'Here it comes. He did only go because he was sent.' _Her inner braced herself for the waves of pain that were sure to come.

"There is nothing that I think you can't do. I never assumed you incapable of completing your objective. If I had, I wouldn't have given you the task in the first place." Tsunade stated.

Sakura eyes snapped open and she stared at the wood of the desk beneath her fingers.

"That night, Uchiha burst in here. Not unlike you did just know," The Fifth said with the ghost of a smile on her features.

"He basically demanded to know where I had sent you. And you know what...? I didn't tell him. He found you that night on his own. Kami knows that he's not one to just sit around. I tried to keep him from doing anything reckless, but you know him just as well as I do. Leaving the village was his own choice. I had nothing to do with it, though I'm postive _you_ had _everything _to do with it. " Tsunade finished with a smirk on her face.

There was no denying it. The Uchiha was beginning to melt.

Sakura let out all the air she'd been holding inside her in one great big rush of air. Like she'd just surfaced from being underwater for a long time. The girl closed her eyes lightly and slowly, though it was near invisible, a small smile graced her face. When she looked up, Tsunade could see tears in her eyes.

Everything Karin had said...none of it was true. Sakura felt like a terrible person, accusing him of a whole bunch of things he hadn't done or said. She'd pushed him away for basically no reason. She said awful, horrible things to him, when he hadn't deserved it.

_'He cares. He cares. He cares.' _Was all she could think about. Her fingers clasped the edge of the desk tighter and she laughed lightly at the amazing feeling of happiness and relief that washed over her.

"T-Thank you Shishou." She met her teachers eyes and found upon her face an expecting look.

Sakura bowed and then turned around and sped from the room. She sprinted through all the doorways of the Hokage's tower and out into the street. She glanced up towards the sky and felt the raindrops hit her face. She smiled again. Somehow it felt as though they were washing away all the horrible feelings she'd felt recently. She felt new. Clean. Happy.

She turned and ran through the street darkened by the storm. She thought absently about the fact that she wasn't wearing a jacket and that sure enough she'd get sick from the exposure to the rain. But it would not stop her.

Sakura had someone to find.

***

Sasuke gasped in lungfuls of air. The sweat on his forehead was concealed by the falling rain, but he hardly noticed. He took in his surroundings for the first time since the beginning of his training. The clearing in which he'd been practicing was now almost unrecognisable.

The trees were mangled, some with deep gashes running through the trunks, other burned by his Chidori. Kunai littered the ground and the trees all around him. The dummy had long since been demolished by his attacks. But it wasn't enough.

She was still the only thing on his mind. He held his Katana in front of him again, observing it a though it held the answers as to why fighting couldn't help him get rid of thoughts of Sakura. It was suspended in front of him once again. Just like before he could see his reflection staring back at him.

But something had changed. In the reflection he could see behind him a flash of pink. The lone figure of the girl he was trying not to think about. He stared at her stationary figure in the reflection of his weapon, unmoving.

Sakura took a small step forwards. Sasuke turned around and faced her fully. She was drenched; her hair clung to the sides of her cheeks, her top hung tightly to her torso. Her arms hung at her side limply and they were bright pink from the cold, but she wasn't shaking. She didn't look cold in the slightest.

He took all of her in. It felt like forever since he'd last seen her. Her voice pulled him away from his thoughts.

"I'm sorry." was all that she said. Sasuke stood still as a statue, as though one move might cause her to run away from him, before turning around once more, his back facing her. He began to pick up his weapons that were scattered around the area.

"I know you came to find me that night. On your own." She said and Sasuke froze. He realised for a moment that her voice sounded full of remorse and an another emotion he couldn't place.

"Aa."

"I'm sorry." She moved forwards and placed a hand on his cold arm and turned him to look at her. He stared into her eyes for a moment and understood that from now on things were going to go back to normal. She removed her hand and Sasuke felt distinctly as though the place where she'd touched him tingled.

"Are you angry with me?" She asked him, her eyes pleading for him to give her an answer. He didn't say a word. He stared at her for a moment and then he simply marched past her to the edge of the clearing. Sakura's face fell in disappointment and pain and she hung her head. He was mad. She knew it. Tears were threatening to fall again.

When he was almost out of earshot, however, Sakura distinctly heard him mutter something.

"No."

Sakura's head shot up and she stared at his back for a moment, before a smile worked it's way up onto her face. The Uchiha just kept walking through the trees. Sakura stood perfectly still, rain falling over her and felt like a giant weight had been lifted off her heart. She was laughing and crying at the same time now. She lifted her hands up and tilted her head back, revelling in the feel of the rain.

All of a sudden, something black landed over her head and she jumped and yanked it off, unsure of what it was. As it was held in front of her, she discovered that it was a jacket. The Uchiha clan symbol was on the back of the collar, therefore it was no mystery as to who had...lent it to her. She raised an eyebrow at his method of giving it to her.

_'Way to ruin the mood, Uchiha.'_ Inner Sakura rolled her eyes.

As Sakura pulled it over her arms and wrapped the oversized jacket tightly around her, she thought about how she couldn't remember a time when she'd felt warmer. She knew that she'd made some bad decisions. That shunning this man hadn't accomplished exactly what it was supposed to. But it had made her learn something, it had led to her learning that despite everything she'd thought, he actually cared about her.

As she made her way back to her apartment, she could feel his Chakra nearby. It was no longer violent and dark as it had been on that night when he'd confronted her, it was calm. Peaceful even. Despite the fact that he had left, he didn't go too far away from her. She felt her heart clench at his way of showing her that he... Why had she been so blind that she hadn't seen it?

She thought about the step as she walked, feeling Sasuke's aura somewhere behind her. Had she let the issue drop, she wouldn't have discovered it at all. Shunning him had given her answers and lead her to a brilliant conclusion that had her feeling better than anything had in a long time.

_'If that happens everytime...Remind me to shun him all the time!' _Inner Sakura yelled. Walking up the steps to the door into her apartment complex, she stopped at the door and murmured to him, for she knew he was there and he'd hear her.

"Thank you."

_'Step 10: Complete.'_

_To Be Continued..._

_***_

**A/N: But only for a couple more chapters!**

**Man...I have no idea what I'm going to do after this....*cries* I have no life! XD Now I know you're all pitying me, but no worries I DO have a life ^^ I know. I know. You're relieved. **

**So anyways. Back on topic! Like? Love? Hate? Despise? Loathe? I tried patching up their relationship in this one because I really wanted the next chapter to be a bit more light-hearted. Don't want no fights getting in the way of torturing Sasuke now do we? Noooooooooooo **

**Please take, literally, like ten seconds to let me know what you think! I'd appreciate it more than anything right now. Reviews and readers are what keep me going with this thing (Can you believe that I wasn't even going to write this story?! I was going to abandon the idea at the very beginning, before I'd even posted XD) **

**Thank you everyone! **

**TOODLES!**


	12. Acceptance and Anger

**A/N: Oh God. *gives out freezies* (It's summer and it's HOT) Don't hate me. Here is the (very, extremely, super duper) long awaited chapter that I've been promising. I'm going to be honest. I'm super neverous about posting this. I'm terrified that after the huge wait, you're expectations have grown to heights that this chapter just can't reach ; _ ; I'm not particularly pleased with it, but I had to make some tough choices that made it less appealing (It'll be explained at the bottom ^^ ) **

**I've missed you guys! I'm SO SORRY AND I WANT TO SAY THANK YOU! **

**SO I'm not going to waste too much time with this A/N... I just want to say sorry for the terrible person that I am and the extreme wait you had to...wait through XD I sincerely hope you liked this chapter, cause if you don't then the whole wait was useless cause I'm a horrible writer. **

**And please review! You're running out of chances! (By the way...in this chapter one of my favourite characters ever makes a small, breif appearance. He's not important. Just needed a guy and well... yeah ^______^ ) READ! ENJOY! REVIEW! ACCEPT APOLOGY! ( heh just had to throw that one in)**

**AND MOST OF ALL!!!!!!! DON'T EXPECT A LOT!!!!! IF YOU MUST, RAISE ALL YOUR EXPECTATIONS FOR THE NEXT AND FINAL CHAPTER! But just be chill on this one please ^____^ I've had a rough time of it on this one. **

_Disclaimer: *__**sigh**__ * After such a long time, I'd forgotten I had to do these XD Well anyways. I don't own anything in the Naruto universe. My only comfort is the fact that I DO own the plotline! _

The Road To Recovery

_Take it upon yourself to help set up the Uchiha with another deserving woman. __God knows he has a boundless amount of fan girls around the village. Make it your goal to set him up with one. By doing this, you are teaching yourself to grow accustomed to the fact that he will be free to date another girl. You have moved on. You don't care WHO he goes out with. It also shows him that he needs to get a move on the whole "rebuilding his clan" endeavour, because, you being a prime example, his fan girls won't be there forever._

***

One week.

That was how long it had taken Sakura to get used to her new, or in her case, old relationship with Sasuke. It had been a long time since she _hadn't _been angry with him, upset because of him, sad because of him. Each day of the week, she'd made an effort to spend a bit of time getting them back on track.

She knew it was working, slowly but surely, in the beginning of the week, because Sasuke was back to paying her very little attention. She didn't want to be ignored but she knew that despite the fact that he was back to acting like she hardly existed, things were working themselves back into routine. The one they had established since the day he'd returned to Konoha. Back to _normal. _

That week, Sakura had convinced herself that she was glad it was going back to the way it was. She was glad that the only role she played in his life was his healer and his background noise. The kind of noise that wasn't really listened to, but one knew it was there in the back of their mind. That was who she was to him. She could talk and talk but he wasn't going to give her his full attention. Back to _normal._

But there was always that ever faithful, tiny voice at the back of her mind that would remind her that maybe...just possibly she didn't necessarily want everything to return to the way it was.

_'At least when we were fighting, he'd acknowledged me a little bit.' _She'd think as she watched his back. Of course, she'd then remind herself that being acknowledged wasn't their _normal. _

So it went. An endless cycle of confusion and denial. Gradually Sakura began training with Team Seven again and went back to seeing the Uchiha only a couple times a day. Training in the afternoon and then sometimes on a rare occasion they'd go to dinner at Ichiraku's or she'd heal him up at the hospital after he had had a minor mission. The girl brushed it off by telling herself that things were finally going back to _normal. _

However, late at night, when she'd lay in bed staring at the ceiling trying to fall asleep, she'd allow her mind to drift off to those few, special months... Being pushed against walls and trees, being followed, being rescued, being confronted, being forgiven, being helped and just as helpful. Fighting, talking, yelling, whispering, silence. Days when she'd been carried to the hospital in his arms, days when her life had been in his hands, days when something as simple as wearing his jacket could make her feel happier than she could remember feeling in a long time.

Those few months when she been fighting with him, had been the one's when she'd been closer to him than ever before.

'Do I really want it to stop?' She'd asked herself countless times. "Do I really want things back to how they used to be?"

_'Yes. Because normal means getting over him.'_ But deep down a tiny 'no' still echoed inside her.

_'No. Because normal isn't wonderful.' _

_*** _

Sasuke paused in his daily routine of training and wiped the sweat off his forehead. He was following his usual motions in preparing for the day. He'd done everything that he used to do before the turmoil with his pink-haired teammate had begun. Nothing, not one thing since then had been altered in his day-to-day schedual...

Except him. The Uchiha had pushed himself exactly how he once had every morning, yet the satisfaction in knowing he'd improved just a little bit never came.

And Sasuke was perplexed. How could something that was _identical _to the past, such as training, or fighting or even missions that had once completed and constituted his entire life, leave him feeling so different.

_'It's her fault.' _Her snarled inside his head and resumed striking the dummies with more force. He settled into a rhythm, leaving only scattered pieces and straw littering the ground in his wake.

She had gotten into his head and was messing with him. Before, when the only interactions they had were minimal, he didn't think of her hardly at all. She _wasn't _important. But then everything had suddenly been twisted. Like God was playing some sick prank and had decided to take all the cards in their lives and play fifty-two pickup.

Turmoil ensued. They had fought and shouted. Well...She had shouted. They were at each other's throats nearly every minute. And if they weren't, they'd been in some sort of peaceful or friendly phase. In the past few months, Sasuke had never thought about something so much.

But obsession wasn't new to him, of course. He'd been obsessed with training at first, power, proving his worth, success, revenge. What was new to him was _what _his thoughts were lingering on.

_'Sakura?' _She was just an annoying fangirl. Nothing more. But he'd been jealous, he'd been worried, he'd been mildly content, he'd been hurt, he'd been_ human_ all because of her. And now after everything that had transpired between them they'd just gone back...? Just as though nothing had changed...

But something_ had_ changed. _He_ had changed. And though it gave him doubts and gave him extra troubles, Sasuke decided that change wasn't so bad after all. Especially when it came to _her_. He wanted to change for her, there was no other way of putting it. For the first time in his life, he wished that his routine ceased to exist.

Suddenly his eyes widened. Had he really just thought that...?

_'What's wrong with me?'_

"Hey Teme!"

Sasuke looked up at the voice and regarded his friend with an unwavering look.

"What are you doing here Dobe?" He asked calmly, though he wondered what his lazy-assed friend was doing awake so early, considering he was impossible to wake up when you actually needed him for something.

"Just walking, making the most of this nice weather and thought I'd come see how my friend was doing on this fine morning. You know, the _normal best-friend _behaviour. Not that you'd understand what the hell that is." Naruto said with an eye roll as he made his way over to Sasuke.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow and tilted his head backwards to stare at the sky. Clouds covered the entire sky and it looked like by later in the day the town would be drenched in rain. A cold wind blew and it was no where near the picture of "nice weather."

"Stop lying." Sasuke droned and turned away from the boy.

Naruto's eyes shifted a fraction as he realized that he'd been outed. Soon he recovered and ran to catch up with his friend. When he reached his side, Naruto heaved a large sigh found it suitable to place his arm around Sasuke.

"Okay, alright. You got me." Naruto said as Sasuke glared at him and shook off his arm from around his shoulders.

"What do you want?" Sasuke demanded.

"I just wanted to talk to you. I've noticed that lately you've been a bit, I can't believe I'm actually saying this, moodier than usual."

"Che. Is that all?"

"Calm down Captain Jackass, no need to _prove my point _right away. I'm not finished yet." Naruto joked. "I just noticed that you've been acting the way... you used to." He finished uncertainly.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Wow Deadlast. That makes so much sense." With that he again began to walk away but was stopped when Naruto gripped his shoulder and wheeled him around to face him again.

"I know you know what I'm talking about. These past few months you've been different Teme, more normal and slightly, and only slightly, less uptight. I might even go as far to say you were _happier._ You may deny it but you know I'm right. Don't worry. I won't make you admit it. And you and I both know why."

Sasuke remained expressionless and simply glared at Naruto.

"You think I'm too stupid to see what's been going on between you and Sakura? You're both my teammates and my best friends and I can see it. But suddenly, you've started going back to the way you were. Mister I-would-marry-my-own-God-damn-Sharingan-if-it-made-me-stronger. Training's not the only thing in this world that can make life worth living. And for one small bit of time, I think you joined the rest of the world and realized that."

"Hn. What do you mean?"

"The fact that the last time you trained this hard was when Sakura was angry at you. The fact that, lately, the fastest you've run was when Sakura was in trouble. The fact that the last time you were angry beyond belief, was when Sakura agreed to go out with Dog breath. The last time you fought stronger than you've fought in a long time, was when some pervert was trying to have his way with, say it with me, Sa-Ku-Ra."

Sasuke looked away and then suddenly snapped his head back quickly. "How did you know about-"

"That mission?" Naruto offered "I _am_ fairly good friends with Sakura, thank you very much. And the Hokage doesn't always keep her secrets when she's gone over the deep end of the sake bottle, if you catch my drift. The point is, you did all of that stuff, not because you locked yourself away in your own cold little world and trained non-stop. You know the reason behind that stuff, and it worries me that all of a sudden you're back to the whole 'Complete and utter bastard' routine. Did something happen?"

"It's none of your concern, you don't know what you're talking about. " Sasuke snapped.

"I'll take that as a yes. Well if you insist on the fact that I'm wrong than maybe we can fix the problem. How about you and me go out, find you a girl and fix all your little 'inner issues', huh?"

Sasuke didn't even answer. He simply turned around and marched away from the infuriating man who'd gotten on his last nerve.

"No? Could it be that Uchiha Sasuke doesn't want just some random girl, that _maybe _the jerk actually has a _specific_ girl in mind...?" Naruto called after him teasingly with a smirk on his lips, which only grew wider when he noticed the Uchiha stopped dead in his tracks.

_'Bingo.' _Naruto thought to himself.

Sasuke's eyes widened a small fraction. If it weren't true, then why did it wrench at him that way? Why did his stomach feel three times heavier? Could he even deny it to himself anymore?

Was there a specific girl that he wanted?

"Shit." He cursed.

***

Sakura tapped her pencil against the desk she was sitting in. She had finally made up her mind...Even though her life had pretty much gone back to the way it was, she would have to finish her list. It had brought her so far that she needed to complete every step to feel as though she accomplished something.

The only problem was that she'd been staring the the blank piece of paper for over an hour.

Who would imagine that setting up the man you loved with another woman could be so hard? Everytime she thought of a girl to write down onto the list, she'd find something that just wouldn't work out. One girl would talk too much, another wouldn't be smart enough. Hair too long, blinks too much, too tall. The reasons were becoming endless and increasingly stupid, but she couldn't help it.

There just wasn't any other woman that..._fit. _

Sakura sighed and decided to bite the bullet. She picked up the pencil and began jotting down all the names that she'd previously rejected. Senorita Blinksalot and Tammy Too-Tall had made the cut.

Now it was only matter of getting them in the same room or at the very least, a relatively close distance that the girl would catch his attention. Some would be easier than others. She worked at the hospital with a lot of them. When he came in to be healed, she'd spring her on him and hopefully sparks would fly.

_'Or hopefully not' _Her inner mumbled.

But there were some woman who'd be tougher. One's that weren't even ninja's that he would probably reject faster than the others.

Sakura groaned and put her face in her hands, raking her fingers backwards into her hair.

How was she going to do this? She needed to find somebody that Sasuke would reject right away. Who was a ninja at the very least. Someone who wasn't already involved with anybody, who would actually make him a priorty.

Sakura snapped her head up as only images of one woman spring to her mind. She winced and hated herself immediatly but she needed to give her a fair chance, no matter how much she loathed the woman. It was about Sasuke and not Sakura. It was for him, so it shouldn't matter to her who the candidate was.

Sakura swallowed and slowly and painfully wrote down the name at the very bottom of the list.

_Karin._

She had to go over the last name in pen several times, just to make sure she wouldn't be tempted to grab an eraser and furiously scrub off, what she had decided, were the worst letters ever put into writing.

***

Sakura awoke the next day after creating her list of elidgible females for Sasuke. She knew what she had to do, but that didn't make it any easier.

_'How many girls do you know who have willingly set up the man they cared for with another girl?! You're absolutely nuts.'_ Inner Sakura complained. The pink haired girl growled and shut up her inner personality.

She got out of bed and decided that she'd wear one of her least attractive outfits. If she was trying to get him to notice someone else, dressing to impress wasn't going to help her. It would only tempt her to get his attention and win him over. So, clad in a pair of plain, unnoticable jeans that didn't necessarily compliment her figure and an extremley ugly button down shirt complete with frills and a hideous design, Sakura went over her plan mentally.

_'So, now that I look like I have vomit all over my chest, let's get a move on.' _She tried to motivate herself, but at that moment, encouraging herself to go out in public wearing the outfit that literally took the cake for being the ugliest excuse for an outfit _ever,_ go to work and find a woman to set up with the man she'd loved since she was twelve, so that he could have babies and revive his clan with her and she herself could get over him, was extremely difficult.

Sakura marched out of her apartment and heading down towards the training field where Sasuke was sure to be. Her plan was to confront Sasuke and inform him that his fangirls were beginning to disperse and become less and less serious.

At first he wouldn't care and might actually be relieved at the prospect of a fangirl-free life, but she planned on selling him some bull philosophy of how reviving his clan would be tough to do if no woman in the village cared about him enough to marry him and make it happen.

Then, once the seed had been planted, she'd casually slip in that she _might _possibly be willing to set him up with someone, just to keep his options open. Thus her step would be complete. No sweat.

Sakura tried not to think of every possible thing that could go wrong.

Up ahead she saw him and, thankfully, he was by himself. Taking a deep breath, she went for it.

"Sasuke!"

Sasuke turned around sharply at the light voice. He didn't want to seem eager or surprised, but it had been a long time since she'd sought him out and he, though he hated to admit to himself, was kind of glad to hear her calling his name again.

It had only been a couple of hours since the Uchiha himself had admitted that it may have been possible that he felt something for Sakura.

The pinkette ran to catch up with him and forced herself to plaster a cheery smile on her face.

"Sakura." He replied. He raised an eyebrow and looked her over. She was wearing the ugliest excuse for an outift ever. "What are you wearing?" Sakura growled and tried to look offended despite the fact that she knew she looked terrible.

"What do you mean!? This is one of my favourite outfits, jerk! It belonged to my grandmother."

"I can tell." He replied and smirked when he saw her bristle with anger.

"Why you-!" She began but the Uchiha cut her off.

"What do you want?" Sakura stopped herself and looked up, momentarily forgetting her mission. Trust her to lose track of her train of thought just because of her temper.

"Right. I just wanted to have a little chat with you." It seemed as though lots of people wanted to have chats with him today. Sasuke's face remained blank and he didn't even look at her as he started walking off towards the bridge. Sakura jogged to remain by his side.

"Well it's just that I'm a bit worried about...about your fangirls." At this the man stopped and stared at her in disbelief.

" I'm sorry Uchiha. But if you don't get your act together they're going to lose interest in you."

"So?" He really couldn't care less about the annoying girls who hounded him everyday. What he did want to know was why Sakura was bringing it up in the first place...

"Well, isn't one of your main goals to rebuild the Uchiha clan?" She asked.

"Aa."

"And how do you suppose your going to do that if you constantly brush off all the girls who show an interest in you? As an ex-fangirl myself I can tell you that after a while, it doesn't take long for a girl to lose interest and move on."

_'She's moved on?'_ Sasuke thought to himself. He studied her face as she walked, babbling about how asexual reproduction was impossible and how no girl would marry him if they didn't care about him or thought he was interested in men. She looked determined and had a fire in her eyes that made her look... The black haired man forced himself to look away.

"And I don't care what you say, rape is completely out of the question Uchiha." She finished with a nod.

Sasuke rolled his eyes and kept going. "Your point?" he enquired as they stopped at a fruit stand, he handed the woman at the counter some money and bought himself a tomato.

Sakura glared as he bought himself a stupid snack._ 'He doesn't even care!' _Her inner snarled.

"My point is that if you don't get your act together and make an effort to get a girl, your dreams of having kids and a normal life will be gone."

"Hn." He grunted and continued on the way to the training grounds with a fuming Sakura behind him. They neared the bridge and walked up the wood slope of it, and Sakura finally got to the point.

"Listen Sasuke. I know lots of girls. Really nice ones. If you wanted, I could maybe set you up someone...? Get you moving on the right track till you find a girl you really like...? I know I'm springing this on you but I really want you to find someone to be with." Sakura was pleading now. Not exactly because she wanted to find him a girl, but because she didn't want to _pretend_ that she did any longer. Who said acting was her forte?

The faster he agreed, the quicker she'd be free to go to work and wallow and wilt. Anything to distract herself accordingly.

Sasuske turned quickly and observed her face, his own features free of emotion. He trapped her against the railing so she would have troubles averting her eyes and running away. He bent closer and looked directly into her green eyes.

"Is it really what you want Sakura?" He asked her. Sakura was startled with his question.

She took a moment before answering. She swallowed hard. Why did his close proximity and his question have such an effect on her?

"It is." She said.

It had to be.

Sasuke stood there only a moment longer, staring through her before pulling back and turning around to head to the fields. He was torn, a part of him wanted to give her exactly what she wanted, anything that she wanted....But another part of him wished that he could deny her request and show her what he unmistakingly felt about her. Naruto's words suddenly echoed loudly in his mind.

_'Could it be that Uchiha Sasuke doesn't want just some random girl, that maybe the jerk actually has a specific girl in mind...?'_

"Aa." If it was what the girl wanted, he'd do it for her. Because maybe, just possibly, he _did_ have a specific girl in mind and a very small part of him wanted to see her happy.

The only problem was that this wasn't making her happy. She was only doing it to try and make him happy.

Sakura shook her head. Had that really just happened? She finally woke up and called after him.

"Come to Ichiraku's at five then!"

***

"The Sasuke Uchiha?!"

"Mmhm. The one and only." Sakura nodded. She'd cornered a girl who worked on her floor of the hospital as a nurse and asked whether she wanted a chance to go out with her stoic teammate. There was only one problem with the girl...

" Oh I don't know. I mean, I wouldn't know how to act and what to wear. I've never even spoken to him! Gosh. I mean does he like girls with blonde hair? "

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Miori, you don't have blonde hair."

"Yeah, but this is dyed. It was blonde. Well, technically blondish brownish before. I guess you could call it brown. Does he like girls with brown hair?! Once this colour fades, how do I know if he'll like me anymore?! Is he the type of man to base his opinions of a girl on looks?"

"I-"

"Or is he the type to base them completely on brains and skill? You were on a team with him, so could you let me know? Oh my gosh! I'm actually considering going out with Sasuke-kun! This is huge. Do you think he'll like me?

"Well I'm-"

"Okay! You've convinced me. I'll do it!"

The girl just spoke too much. But the way Sakura found it, she would talk enough for the both of them, taking Sasuke's lack of speech into account.

Sakura tried in vain to get the girls attention again.

"Mi-Miori..." But the girl would not keep her mouth shut. Eventually her patience wore thin.

"OKAY MIORI!" The woman closed her mouth abruptly and stared at Sakura.

"He'll be at Ichiraku's at five so be there on time okay?"

***

Sakura waited outside the ramen stand for either Sasuke or Miori. She was feeling pretty moody, but it wasn't jealousy. That wasn't it. She was just tired. That was it.

_'Tired of what? Watching other girls snatch Sasuke away? God, no wonder you're fatigued.' _Her inner supplied sarcastically.

"Shut up" She growled at her forehead.

"What?" An innocent voice asked. Sakura's head snapped up at the sound. Miori was standing there looking confused and a bit worried about Sakura.

"Uhh...I said what's up?"

"Oh. For a second I thought you told me to shut up. It was funny because I wasn't even saying anything..."

_'For once.' _Her inner rolled her eyes.

"Well you could probably just go sit inside Miori-chan. He'll be here in a couple seconds." The girl nodded and smiled brilliantly. It was clear that she was excited to go out with him and have bragging rights over all of her friends. She made her way to the counter and sat down, swinging her leg back and forth. Sakura closed her eyes and waited for the next party to arrive and sure enough, exactly at five o'clock Sasuke appeared.

"Sakura." He nodded.

"Sasuke! Geez, you scared me! I didn't notice you!" She panted as she held a hand over her racing heart. Her thoughts had taken over and she was oblivious to his entrance.

"Aren't you a Kunoichi?" He droned tonelessly with his hands deep in his pockets.

"Sakura clenched her fist until her knuckles cracked. Her inner was throwing a fit within her. _'Cheeky little-' _

"Is she here?" He asked her, which thrust her thoughts back into reality.

"Oh! Right! Mm-Hmm. She's sitting at the counter; the one with the black hair there," She said pointing her out to Sasuke. Her eyes nervously scanned his face to see if she could spot some sort of attraction there.

"Hn." He began to turn away.

"Oh and Sasuke? Be nice, okay. Okay well not_ nice, _cause I mean that's not really what you do." She was rambling. "But, you know. As long as she doesn't end up suicidal or heart broken..." Sakura trailed off at this.

_'Why did you say that?!' _Her inner screamed. That last thing the two of them needed was awkwardness and the hard past they shared dug up again. But there she was, reminding him that he had broken girls hearts before, her's being a prime example. Tactful as always, Sakura.

Sasuke studied her for a moment before stepping inside the restaurant. Sakura watched long enough to see him go in and then turned around and slowly walked away. From the ramen stand, she could hear Miori's excited chattering.

"Sasuke-kun! I cannot believe this is happening!! I'm not sure what to order, do you know what's good? Oh nevermind, I guess I'll just share with you. I've never been good at ordering things! I am so glad I get to get to know you! You might be surprised but I don't often get very close to people! I don't know why, but I find that sometimes, I find out I know nothing about them! Don't you think that's crazy?....."

Getting lost in her thoughts, the woman sidled up the street, the sounds of the girl trailing away. Sakura was hoping that she'd be able to forget about the fact that Sasuke could very possibly, at that moment, be falling in love with Miori and forgetting all about her. Soon, she felt a presence walking along behind her at a steady pace.

"Sasuke?! What on earth-?" Shocked she stopped walking and planted her feet firmly on the ground, waiting for him to catch up.

"Sasuke! I don't understand! What are you doing?!" Once again she got no answer.

_'That's it.' _

"No." He suddenly said.

"I-What? No? I'm not going to let you be a jerk! Go back and suck it up!"

"Hn. No."

"Sasuke! Why not?!" Sakura demanded to know.

"Talks too much." And with that he proceeded to march up the street with a confused and secretly half pleased Ninja in his wake.

***

Sakura sighed, completely and utterly exasperated. She'd finally managed to convince Sasuke to try, at least spending time with a couple more women. It wasn't as though she was pushing him up to the alter in a tux, for Kami's sake. All she was attempting to do was get him to eat Ramen or walk around the village with a girl!

But excuse after excuse ensued. One girl would be utterly too naive and ditsy to even be considered appropriate in his mind. Another had wounded his pride by being taller than he was. Apprently, Uchiha's _literally _didn't look up to anyone. Another girl had wandered up to Sakura the next day asking if she really did blink her eyes too much and if she stopped, whether or not he'd give her another chance.

It was getting to the point where Sakura was honestly considering going on a double date just to keep an eye on him. And as the week progressed and he still wasn't giving off any signs of cooperating, she figured she might as well give it a try.

While Sasuke and the rest of her team were still at training, Sakura snuck off to the next training field where she was aware of another team practicing. The steady thwacks of various weapons being embedded into the trees and dummies surrounding the area could be heard from where Sakura now was hunched in a tree. She tried talking herself into going down there and asking him to join her, Sasuke and a rather nice Jounin whom she'd treated once or twice at the hospital for a picnic. That was all she had to do, but as she looked down she couldn't help cringing. This was going to be unbearably difficult. She knew what the answer would be...But the hard part was the actual surrender.

Taking a deep breath and muttering affirmations to herself, the pink haired girl hopped down from her place in the tree.

'_Here we go...' _Her inner rolled her eyes.

"...Hey guys-" She began hesitantly to the group. She noticed Neji crack one eye open and incline his head slightly in her direction before returning to his meditation. Tenten turned away from her barrage of weaponary and smiled brightly at her.

"Hey Sakura-chan-"

"SAKURA-SAN!"

"Lee-k"

"What brings your beautiful and youthful spirit to our training, Sakura-san?" Lee asked with such passion and curiosity in his voice that Sakura was momentarily thrown off. When she failed to answer promptly, Lee rushed to her and grasped her hands.

"Sakura-San?"

Finally, she snapped out of her lapse and smiled slightly. She took his arm and pulled him away from the others so that she wouldn't disturb team Gai's training session. She understood Neji's obsession, and the last thing thing she'd want for Tenten was an afternoon of dealing with a pissy Hyuuga.

"Uhh....Well I actually came here to ask you a small favour-"

"Anything! I swore I would do anything for you Sakura-san and I will! If I can't, I will do 200 hundred laps around our beautiful village on my very hands!" He shouted. Sakura knew it was coming. Lee turned back towards her after his small speech and as was his custom flashed her his classic nice guy pose.

Sakura sweatdropped. "That's really not necessary...."

"Sakura-san, please! What good is the energy of youth when I cannot use it to help the one I love?!" Lee looked at her with a fire in his eyes telling her that her dissuasions weren't going to convince him.

"O-okay what I really wanted to ask you was if you were free on Tuesday night...?"

"Why do you ask? Could it be that after so many years of unrequited love, that you have finally returned my feelings?!" Lee interoggated her. The hope seemed to radiate from him.

Sakura felt her heart wrench. He was still adament that her feelings would change. She didn't want to let him down, because after such a long time she had grown to adore Lee's quirky personality and his kindness. However, she just didn't feel that way about him. As hard as it would be to let him down once more, she knew she couldn't give him false hope.

Sakura smiled at him with sympathetic eyes. Maybe after her own list was finished, she'd try setting Lee up with a nice...exuberant girl of his own. He deserved to be happy with someone, it just wouldn't be her.

"Lee-kun. I'm sorry but that's not it. I'm asking purely as a friend. You see, I'm trying to get Sasuke to meet with other girls, but he's...well you know."

"Hai." He said with a quick, affirmative nod. The Uchiha social problems weren't a secret.

"So I thought that maybe if we, the four of us, went together. I'd be able to watch and make sure that he doesn't break any hearts." She looked down at her hands, trying to find the right words to not give the wrong impression. "I tried to think of someone to ask and- and I couldn't really think of a friend who I'd like to go with more than you Lee-kun. Besides, it's been a while since we've caught up." At this she smiled and looked up to see his reaction.

She gained a twitch in her eye and took a step backwards.

"L-Lee..?"

"Oh Sakura-san!" He exclaimed with tears streaming down his face. "That's the kindest thing you have ever said to me! My gratitude and love cannot be contained!"

_'He'd better contain it.' _Her inner grumbled.

"My limbs burn with such a youthful fire! What day did you say this gathering was?" He said, once again grasping her hands.

"Uhh. Tu-Tuesday." She said, once again startled by his show of affection. As soon as the words parted from her lips she saw a change in his face.

"I-I cannot go on Tuesday Sakura-san. If you remember, it will be the first Tuesday of the month, w-which is-"

Of course. She couldn't believe she'd been so insensitive. During the final face off between Madara and the village, Lee had been severely injured while fighting for Konoha. He'd fought and sucessfully killed one of the final Akatsuki members left, who had proved a decent threat and a necessary target. He'd been transmitting information to Madara about the village as they were rallying their forces against the two final Uchihas, Sasuke and Madara. However, Zetsu had not been an easy opponent. Normally Lee could have been healed up without any concerns, but because of his previous injury from the Chuunin exams he was nearly crippled.

But Lee being Lee wouldn't be held back and he was back to his normal self quickly. Still, ever since then he'd had to return to the hospital on the first Tuesday of every month to be checked up on by Tsunade herself. Even while he was fighting, he still occaisionly suffered a spasm in his limbs, which would cause him to collapse for several minutes.

Such a condition could prove fatal to a shinobi, who's life was in danger almost every moment.

Sakura shook her head, frustrated at her lack of forward thinking. She should have remembered.

"I'm sorry Lee-kun. I forgot-" She looked into his face to show that she understood and smiled kindly.

"Sakura-san. It is no fault of yours! Please excuse me." Suddenly he jumped onto his hands and began to moved away from her.

"Eeeeeh?!" Sakura shouted. "Lee! What are you-?"

"I could not fufill your request my fair maiden! I must complete my laps of the village!" He shouted back at her as he moved steadily away.

"Wait Lee-kun!" She screamed as she bolted after him. She had the advantage, for though he was fast, he was also walking on his hands. "Lee! We can just do it on Wednesday! Come back!"

With that she lunged and grabbed his foot and pulled it downwards so that he could stand again.

"We can?"

"Yes! Goodness!" She said, shaking her head at his antics. Gai was a good teacher, but sometime she questioned his methods of training.

"Thank you Sakura-san! I shall meet you then!" With that he bowed deeply and ran away. "Gai-sensei! Gai-sensei! "

Sakura sweatdropped. That man needed to slow down.

***

Sakura skipped back to training with a happy smile on her face. There was no way Sasuke was going to duck out now. Nope. She'd be there supervising.

The girl's name was Hagakure Katsumi. She was a quiet, petite, talented Jounin. She often went on missions alone, though of what kind Sakura didn't know. She found it strange for a Kunoichi who was a Jounin to only go on solo missions without a team. She'd treated her in the hospital but she'd never really asked about her or gotten to know her too well.

Still, she felt confidant that she'd be the girl. First of all, her personality almost matched his and they were very compatible.

Two, she'd specifically taken every excuse the man had given and found the opposite qualities in this girl. He hated tall? She'd give him a short statured girl. He didn't like girls who spoke too much? Fine. She'd give him one who didn't say anything at all. Not compitant enough? I think not. She graduated very high in her class at the academy, and the fact that she'd been advanced to Jounin already counted in her favour.

And lastly, she had it all worked out. She'd be there to supervise and make absolutely sure that the man didn't try to leave or wasn't too rude. No stupid stunts would be pulled today.

She could hardly wait.

As she made her way back to training she smiled and waved at her team, who were all assembled at the foot of a tree. Naruto and Sasuke looked a little worse fo wear and she knew she'd be healing many wounds. But even that couldn't dampen her smug spirits.

"Hey guys." She greeted brightly. Kakashi without looking up from his book, snorted.

"Nice of you to rejoin us. Where was it, that you snuck off to? Hmm Sakura?"

The girl laughed and winked. "Not telling. Anyways, it was important so I figured it would be okay."

"Hn." Sasuke, leaning against the tree, was mildly disconcerted at her childish behaviour. Where had she gone and why was she suddenly in such a good mood? Why had she winked?! If this had anything to do with Kiba or any other guy...

"So, it looks to me like you two will be needing healing." She stated while looking them over. Naruto shook his head.

"No it's alright Sakura-chan! I heal fast so I'll be okay. Besides I have to go meet Hinata-chan! I'll see you later." She smiled and waved as he left. She turned to see Kakashi and growled when she noticed he was already gone.

Hypocrite. He was wondering where she went to when she snuck away from training and yet where was he?

_'Probably reading his smut.'_ Her inner said, rolling her eyes. Sai was standing beside Sasuke smiling fakely.

"Well. I'm not going to stick around. Bye Ass-Hair. See you later Ugly." With that he disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Hn." The man muttered as he began to walk away. Sakura grabbed his arm and using her strength, pulled him to the ground.

"No chance Uchiha. Naruto might have a fox demon inside him that helps him heal, but you don't. I don't want you to get an infection or to walk away with a broken rib like last time. Sit still."

He glared at her as she forced him to be still while his cuts were patched up and his bruises erased was easily as though they were simply a smudge of dirt.

"So just so you know, you've got another date." She said conversationally, yet still inviting no room forhim to refuse. She wasn't asking him. She was telling. "Wednesday. I don't care what you say. You're going Sasuke and you're staying this time. Just meet outside of the park at 4:00 and try to come prepared to be social." She said as she finished up.

"Che. Annoying." He muttered.

"Yup. And no matter how many time you say it, I'm not going to change." She smirked as she stood up from her knees and begin making her way away from him.

Sasuke also smirked from his position on the ground when she was out of sight. He didn't want her to change.

***

Sasuke stood at the entrance to the park with his arms crossed on Wednesday. He'd been standing there for only a couple of minutes when he noticed a woman who was a little taller than Sakura (but still quite petite) walking towards him with her hands in her pockets.

She had dark hair with a faint indigo hue to it. Her eyes were a pale silvery colour and if Sasuke didn't know any better, he might have mistaken her for a Hyuuga. Her navy hair was pulled back into a strict no-messing-around ponytail which gave her a no-nonsense look. As she got closer, he noticed small flecks of black in her eyes. She was wearing black pants pulled up slightly and tied at the bottom. On her top half, it was hard to tell underneath her Jounin vest, but it looked liked a dark navy shirt with the sleeves rolled up that matched her hair. Mesh covered one of her arms down to the wrist

Sasuke raised his eyebrows half a centimeter. Was this the girl Sakura had picked out? He seemed amazed at how clueless she really was. He had just admitted to himself that she was the one he wanted...But when she tried to set him up with a girl, she'd managed to choose someone who seemed the polar opposite of her.

She really had no idea what kind of girls he was attracted to. Maybe if this girl was a bit shorter. And perhaps if her eyes were a bright green shade. And maybe if her hair was not the dark navy it was, but a light colour of pink. Perhaps then he'd be interested in this girl. But probably not. He already had a girl with pink hair.

He inclined his head towards her in acknowledgement. She came to a stop beside him and leaned against the gate to the park.

"Good evening." She said politely.

"Hn." He wasn't even going to try. He didn't care about this girl.

"Hmmm." She hummed at the back of her throat and proceeded to remain in silence.

Oh, the chemistry.

Abruptly Sasuke looked upwards when he heard a familiar laugh resounding in the street leading to the park. He quirked an eyebrow. About time. She should have been here to tell them what they were going to be doing. The sooner they got started, the sooner Sasuke could ditch.

Sakura walked down the street laughing at Lee's strange antics and turned the corner facing the park. Lee was carrying the picnic basket for her, since he could not allow a woman such as her to do so. She walked purposely towards the pair waiting at the gate. Sasuke's eye narrowed dangerously and he glared at the man who's arm was linked through Sakura's.

"Surprise!" She called out when she got there. "I didn't tell you Sasuke," She said with a menacing smile. "This is a _double_ date. Lee-kun and I will be joining you two." She leaned in close to his ear as she went to stand beside him. "So no running away."

"Hn."

She continued to the rest of the group. "By the way! Have you two introduced yourselves yet?" She asked looking from Katsumi to Sasuke and back.

The pair just stared at her blankly, as though it were obvious they hadn't.

Sighing, she rolled her eyes. They might have been a little too similar. "Sasuke, this is Hagakure Katsumi. Katsumi, this is Uchiha Sasuke. There. Now you know each other's name at the very least. Oh and this is Rock Lee. He's my date today." She added. Thank God she'd be here to help them along, or else this date would have been in complete silence.

Sasuke's fists clenched at the word "date." Sakura couldn't possibly care about Thick brows...Could she? Was this where she'd gone during training?

"Good evening." Katsumi said with the nod of her head.

"Yosh! It is an evening brimming with youth, isn't it?" Lee stated with fist pump. There was no way she could care about him that way; Sasuke was positive. And yet he couldn't help the clenching in his stomach everytime Sakura flashed him one of her smiles.

Together the group made their way into the park for the picnic. Sakura walked on up ahead with Lee while Sasuke was forced to jealously follow them beside his own date. Suddenly his eyes shot open and he turned towars the woman. He could have sworn he'd felt her grab his...Uchiha's didn't imagine things so she must have groped his ass! He turned and glared at her but found her to look exactly as emotionless as before.

_'What the hell?'_

Soon Sakura found a good place and called them over. Katsumi turned and heading towards them and sat down. Sakura narrow his eyes and followed reluctantly behind her. Sitting down beside her, Sasuke tried to scoot away from her when Sakura had her eyes turned down towards the picnic basket. However Katsumi placed her hand onto his thigh and held him where he was. He swallowed nervously and went to grab her hand, but she loosened her grip and began to slide her hand...upwards. Sasuke was horrified.

Thankfully, Sakura chose the perfect moment to look up and smile brightly at the pair. As Sakura was looking up, Katsumi quickly retreated her hand back to her own lap.

"Look what I brought!" Sakura chirped happily, as she pulled out four Bento boxes. She looked so pleased with herself. As Katsumi was looking quietly at the food, Sakura gave Sasuke and meaning ful look and nodded pointedly at the girl.

What was a guy to do!? He had one girl trying to seduce him and grope him and another girl encouraging him to try and get to know the former! He attempted to send her a muted message about how perverted the girl was but soon he felt her eyes on him. He swallowed and turned slowly to meet her eyes.

The look she gave him was extremely lusty, he averted his eyes quickly. Suddenly, the woman leaned back and put her hand behind his back and begin to inch it forwards towards his back. If Sakura were to look up it would look just like she was leaning back on her hand, when she was really sliding it up his back. Sasuke glared at her sharply. His Sharingan activated; he wasn't about to take this woman's crap.

She didn't seem too upset however she simply withdrew her hand and went to try Sakura's cooking.

"This is delicious." She said politely to Sakura who looked extremely pleased at the compliment before returning to her conversation with Lee. Sasuke, eager to finish this date quickly reached forwards and grabbed his own box. The girl was right. The Sakura's cooking was perfect. She'd even placed a couple tomato slices in his bento box, however he wasn't preoccupied with the meal. He was watching Katsumi from the corner of his eyes.

"So Katsumi," Sakura said pleasantly through gritted teeth, urging the Uchiha to start a conversation. "Have you been on any missions lately?"

Katsumi looked up at her with an emotionless expression.

"Actually yes. I just returned from one today." She said.

Sakura casually, out of Katsumi's line of vision, kicked Sasuke's leg and nodded harshly at the girl. He sighed and forced the words from his throat.

"What kind of mission." He said. It wasn't really a question, considering he didn't really care about the answer. He just didn't want to be kicked again. He looked up for some sign of approval but found that Sakura had turned back to say something to Lee, who's face lit up dramatically. He was said something to make her laugh and then he'd pulled her into a small hug.

"Hai! I would like to know as well!" Lee contributed from beside Sakura. His arm was still around her. Sasuke wanted to rip his arm off and take Sakura away from these two freaks. He felt a pang of jealousy when she didn't remove his arm. The Green-freak shouldn't have been touching her at all in the first place . He growled low in his throat and surpressed his anger.

"It was an A rank. I went alone." She droned.

"Oh I see." Sakura smiled. "Well we'll let you guys continue this conversation on your own. We'll give you some privacy while Lee and I take a look around the park." She stood up with her companion and Lee began punching and kicking with happiness. Sasuke's head snapped up at her words. Not only was she going to go alone with..._Him_, she was leaving him alone with..._Her_. Lee could try anything on Sakura while she was out of his sight. He once again felt the jealousy raid his thoughts. However he soon had more to worry about. As Sakura and Lee walked, Sasuke thought he might burst from anger. He could have sworn he'd heard Sakura giggle and say something about not needing a piggyback.

As if he'd let Lightning Teeth come anywhere close to giving her a piggyback. He'd be unconcious before she had even touched him.

However, at the moment, the Sharingan user had other problems to focus on. Sasuke soon found himself ambushed and pinned to the ground.

"What do you think you're doing? Get off." He growled to the...thing on top of him,

"Not likely Sasuke." Katsumi murmured before sitting up on his stomach and pulling her hair out of it's constraints. Indigo hair cascaded down her shoulders and brushed his face. He was at a complete loss of what to do. All he wanted to do was Chidori this woman into oblivion and then proceed to do the same with the man who was with Sakura at the moment.

But the surprise had momentarily frozen his thought process. He could only sit there wide eyed as she held him down. Breifly he'd considered punching or hitting her away, but he'd din't think it wise to do so for many reasons. One, she was a woman and though what she was doing was highly inappropriate, she wasn't actually harming him. Two, what would Sakura think if she came back and Katsumi laying on the ground? She'd think he had hit for no reason or that _he'd _made a pass at _her _or possibly worse.

He didn't want her to think the worst of him.

The woman currently atop him had dug her knees into his sides and had a very firm grip on his arm so there was no way he'd be able to just gently shove her off. He'd have to use actual strength and could possibly hurt her. The best solution would be to hold out till Sakura came back and then get her to pry the sexual woman off him. God knows she had the strength. And there weren't any social customs about girls hitting other girls were there? At least none as severe as a _man _hitting a woman.

He didn't expect the series of events that happened next, though. Katsumi smiled seductively and lowered her head slowly. Sasuke suddenly had a very good idea of what kind of missions this wench went on.

Oh no.

Her lips brushed his softly before she pressed herself tightly to him. He kept his lip tight shut and hoped Sakura would come soon. He was sick of this bitch and his patience was wearing thin.

Sakura however chose that moment to return to the scene alone. Lee had been called in by Team Gai for an emergency mision given to them by Tsunade and had to leave early and unexpectedly. After promising to make it up to her, he left with Neji, Tenten and Gai. She had returned to the picnic to let them know they would have all day to themselves.

She stopped dead in her tracks at the sight on Katsumi and Sasuke making out on the ground. She gasped and tried to cover the pain she felt in her heart. This was _her _idea. She was supposed to be happy that her plan worked. This was what she was supposed to want; for Sasuke to hit it off with a girl.

Then why was her heart breaking?

"Oh. Umm." She said blushing and looking around for an escape. "S-Sorry to bother you two. I'll just go now. Lee had to l-leave so um. " She said. Katsumi looked up and turned around.

"Goodbye."

Sasuke's throat felt a huge lump in it. Now what was she supposed to think?! She was going to assume that he cared about this pervert, when that was the exact opposite of what he was feeling. E didn't care for her at all! She had literally attacked him, pounced and went in for the kill. He tried to move his arms but the girl on top of him pushed him down and attempted to latch onto his mouth again.

That was it. He peeked over the woman's shoulder and could see Sakura walking in the opposite direction. _'Screw being nice.' _He growled and roughly pushed the silver eyed girl off of him.

"You're a complete lowlife." He snapped at her, before he leapt into the trees.

Stupid Sakura. This whole disaster was her idea. He leapt through the trees and headed straight towards the Uchiha compound. The last thing he needed to hear was Sakura gloating about how she'd found the perfect girl and when he told her the truth, about how she'd find him another woman.

He couldn't believe he'd lowered himself so far just to please one girl. She couldn't really be that important to him.

To think that she would actually think he'd do such a thing with girl after he'd just met her. She hadn't even done anything to intervene. She really had moved on. It was alright with her for him to be be with other girls.

Sasuke growled, furious at his own stupidity. He had assumed carelessly that she'd suddenly grow wildly jealous and give up the whole charade of being over him, but it didn't happen. And probably never would. He was getting tired of being the only jealous one.

He scowled as he headed home. Angry and disappointed, he didn't want to see her again. He would learn to forget this silly infatuation with her. Just as she had apparently forgotten hers.

***

Sakura sighed and tried to hold back the tears forming in her eyes. God! What the hell was the matter with her!? She pulled out the list from her pocket and scanned the step once more. Her hands were shaking. She found an empty bench in the middle of the park and collasped onto it.

She couldn't take this. Her hands started shaking with more force, because it was just too hard. The stupid list wasn't working! It told her the things she needed to do, but she just didn't have to strength to do them. She couldn't take seeing him with another girl.

The feelings that were all pent up inside her couldn't stay there. She'd never been one to keep things inside her. It was all wrong and her heart just couldn't handle it. She was supposed to be over him! But the thought, the very concept that he would be with somebody else made everything seem final. The weight of the realization that she would probably never be with him had suddenly crushed down upon her.

Her hands clenched, crushing her list and she finally let go of the tears. It stung. It stung knowing that she'd known him most of his life and had been in love with him most of hers and he'd never thought much of her at all. But this girl _she'd _chosen for him, that he'd known for twenty minutes could capture his attention in no time flat.

She laughed a bitter and humorless laugh. She could officially call herself the best matchmaker in Konoha.

The tears just kept coming and soon her body was racked with sobs. Her lungs were struggling for breath as she sat there defeated. She wanted to laugh at how pathetic she was. She really did. She was sitting in the middle of the park on her own, crying because the man she was intended to get over had actually hit it off with a girl that she'd suggested he go out with in the first place. Her plan was actually working for once, but she, being the sad human being she was still felt her heart breaking.

Part of her being still believed with so much hope that he would love her in return. Her brain was trying desperately to drag it forwards and forget him, but that stubborn little heart was hanging onto him with all it's might.

It was truly unfair.

Suddenly an image of Katsumi wrapped around him, her tongue no doubt in his mouth flashed behind her eyelids and a fresh wave of tears washed over her.

God dammit!

Sakura curled into a little ball, hugged her knees tightly to her chest ad buried her face into them. She didn't want complete strangers wondering who the distraught crazy lady on the bench was.

"Pinky?" An apathetic voice spat out.

Sakura's cries stopped as she lifted her head a fraction to see who it was. A pitiful wimper escaped her throat before she buried her face deeper into her knees. She didn't need this right now. She wanted to be alone.

Karin barked out a harsh, mocking laugh and put her hands on her hips.

"What's wrong with you? D'you finally realize what a sad loser you were? Or did you finally come to terms with the fact that Sasuke-kun couldn't care less about you?" The spectacled woman asked her roughly. Sakura released a choked sob from the back of her throat.

Sadly and frustratingly, Karin was dead on. That was exactly it and it only made it worse to hear an affirmation from somebody else. Least of all _Karin. _

"Go away." Sakura mumbled from her protective ball. Karin, once again, barked out a malicious laugh.

"Why? Do you feel like wallowing all alone? Don't want the world to know how pitiful you actually are? I can see your little charade of being tough and immune to everything has finally cracked. Sad really. I almost feel sorry for you." Karin said as she turned to walk away.

Sakura's temper was flaring. How cruel was this woman? She would stop at nothing to make Sakura feel worse about herself. How could she even think to insult her, when she was already beaten down the lowest she possibly could be? She wanted to gag in disgust and hurt. Sakura's weeping had now escaladed to the point where she actually _was _gagging from the lack of breath and the fact that she was just so upset.

She didn't have to sit here and take this...but she didn't have the heart to do anything about it right now.

Karin, smugly trotting away, abruptly came to a halt and decided to take it one small step further. Rub it in a little further. She wasn't sure exactly what had happened between Sasuke and Sakura, but it couldn't hurt to shove it in her face for good measure. She couldn't be around him anymore, but Karin could.

"Oh, Pinky? By the way...I was wondering if you could tell me where Sasuke-kun was? I really want to see him and maybe spend a little _quality _time with him." She said, once more putting her hand on her hip.

_'That vindictive, selfish pig!' _

"I- I'm not sure, Karin. G-go- find hi-im yourself. He's p-probably with-" Sakura stopped here. It hurt to think of them again. "He's prob-bably gone back to the c-compound-d. If you c-care so much j-just go fi-find him. I-I t-think he'll be th-there though." She finished and then she turn her back on the vile woman.

_'Yeah. There with Katsumi. Che!'_ Her inner added.

Karin smiled smugly and turned quickly on her heel, striding quickly to the Uchiha compound. Her work here was done.

Sakura, though thoroughly crushed, stopped crying for a second when she realized, with a jolt that she'd completed her step fully.

She'd said she'd give Karin a chance. She said that she would at least attempt to get them together and now she had. She'd told her where he would most likely be and given her hope that he was single. She'd given her the chance and it was up to Sasuke to do whatever he would with it. Technically she hadn't put the effort into it and that really wasn't her intention. But nevertheless she'd gotten them into the same place together.

She brushed away some of the tears still cascading from her eyes and sniffed. She felt a tad guilty even. She didn't have the strength to verbally lash out at Karin for everything she'd done and said to make Sakura feel worthless but, now she was sending her off to find Sasuke where he would probably be with Katsumi.

She was sending her to most likely have her heart broken.

And the pink haired woman wasn't even heartless enough to wish that upon anyone. Not even Karin, because she personally knew how much it hurt.

Sakura could feel the tears still leaking from her eyes, but she knew she couldn't stay here. She needed to go home to the dark, warm comforts of her bed where she could rest and cry her heart out in peace.

She stood and brushed off her face once more before leaping into the branches of a tree, rushing in the direction of her home. Already, the safety of closed doors was calling out to her and she pushed herself to run faster and faster.

But in her haste, she never noticed....

She never noticed the lonely slip of wrinkled, worn out, faded, smudged paper slipping from her lap as she stood, floating to the ground and landing unassumingly beneath the bench on which she was sitting.

Waiting.

_'Step Eleven: Complete.' _

_To Be Continued..._

***

**A/N: I'm treating myself to an extra long author's note because I haven't done so in so long and there are things to discuss! Suck it up or just skip it XD XD Either one. **

**Well....There we go. The Road To Recovery will actually only be "Continued" one final time. The very last chapter is next folks. So! Explainations! I know I mentioned to some people that this chapter would be super dramatic. And it **_**was**_** going to be...but I changed my mind. I've decided the best way to end the story would be to have the drama at the end. So I saved the drama I'd anticipated for this chappy for the **_**next**_** one. I'm super excited about the ending ^_^ I've got it all worked out :D It'll hopefully turn out as I'm imagining it. Go out with a bang. **

**And hopefully it'll be a bang. This was just a transition chapter, so it wasn't meant to be where the action was. But next time will be better ^_____^ **

**An Epilogue is still up in the air. I'm not quite decided on whether I'm going to write one...**

**So review please! Your chances of doing so are becoming limited ^_^;; Please, this time along with my normal review request, I'm asking that you tell me whether or not I should write an epilogue and why/why not. **

**I want you to really think about it before you answer though. Don't just put that you want an epilogue because you want to read more from this story and don't want it to end. Actually think if adding that last bit would be the best choice for the story. In the end it'll be my decision. Some of you are probably wondering why I'm even asking. An epilogue isn't even that big of a deal...well.... XD I wrote a venting journal on Deviantart explaining my worries so take a peek here:****zero-888 (DOT) deviantart ( DOT) com**** (Also check out my very first SasuSaku Fanart! I drew it recently :3 Can you tell I'm a SasuSaku at heart or what? XD XD) **

**Thank you so much for sticking with me during a *counts on fingers * ....0 _ o Very long break ****XD Hope you liked the chapter and weren't too disappointed...*crosses fingers* And stay tuned! The last chapter will be the last official chapter of the RtR!!!!! **

***dies* Woooooooooooow **

**OH and by the way. I just had to mention how proud I was of Hagakure Katsumi's name ^^ I actually researched Japanese meaning and such XD Katsumi means Victorious Beauty (i.e how she won over Sakura in her point of view) and Hagakure means in the shadow of leaves or hidden in leaves (i.e how she was like a creep in disguise. She hid her personality. Plus she's from Konoha so * shrugs * there is a connection) **


	13. A Complete Failure

**A/N: FINALLY! Goodness. Fanfiction definitely chose to worst time to have a massive glitch t(-.-t) I'm sorry this is late but to be fair, it wasn't really my fault. I've been trying to sign in ALL DAY yesterday but it wouldn't let me. I was swearing at the screen by the time I got the "error" message a two hundreth time. I posted as soon as it would let me XD**

**Whoa. There. The final REAL chapter is up. BUUUUUUUUUUT Due to the ending there will be an epilogue. I decided that a few days ago so it's not completely finished yet. :D Enjoy it AND PLEASE READ AND REVIEW ^_^ This is kind of the big one and I'd love to read your thoughts. Hopefully you like it *crosses fingers * Warning: it's pretty sappy #_# You've been warned. **

_Disclaimer: _* sigh* _I wish I owned it, but I never will ; ____ ; _

The Road To Recovery

12. Burn this list and continue the steps over and over again. You have learned all you can from this piece of paper. It is time you put it aside and continue on your own. You must be able to keep your head high and go out there without any list to fall back on. YOU ARE SAKURA HARUNO AND YOU DO NOT LOVE SASUKE UCHIHA ANY LONGER!

***

The sun was just beginning to set on the village as Karin happily meandered through the streets of Konoha. Her steps held a plainly obvious strut to them and she swung her hips widely. She wore a smug smile on her features as she hummed to herself. Happiness was not hidden when it came to the spectacled woman. Hands in her pockets, head held high; her air radiated a proud triumph that only a broken hearted rival could bring her.

Unashamed, was she to admit that seeing her rival sitting pitifully on the park bench had left her elated. It meant that the one person who could possibly steal Sasuke's heart was out of the running, her motivation clearly evaporated.

As she made her way towards the Uchiha district she giddily imagined all the scenario's that might have taken place between Sasuke and Haruno.

Maybe he had openly told her that his heart belonged to another, more intelligent and graceful woman. Karin tilted her head higher at the very concept that she was more graceful than Haruno. Perhaps he'd made it known that he hated her and was disgusted with Pinky's very personality. Had he hurt her? Did he hate her?

The possibilities were enough to keep Karin smugly satisfied during her walk up the main street towards the main house where her Sasuke-kun lived. It had been a while since they had last seen each other. Karin had been counting down the days until she'd be able to march up to him and spend as much time as she wanted with him, unencumbered by an annoying and meddling pink haired bimbo. Too long had Sasuke's former teammate gotten in the way.

But she was out of the picture now. Karin judged by the defeated and utterly heart broken expression, that Sakura wouldn't be begging for the remaining Uchiha's attention. Karin stretched her conciousness and groped around the area to feel his chakra signals. She could feel them eminatting from his home, so she knew he was there. And from the feel of it...He wasn't happy at all.

It didn't bother her though. Who better to cheer him up than the one woman who loved him more than anything on the earth's surface? He's probably just mulling over his resentment of the other girl.

Karin shrugged. She'd take care of his anger and tension soon enough. Something had clearly happened, and Karin was thirsting for the details. She picked up the pace. He was so close to her. She hadn't seen him since she'd temporarily replaced the girl while she was injured.

Training and her probation had hampered her from seeing him, therefore she was craving to see him. As she closed in on her destination she stopped and leaned against the outside wall. Taking deep breaths, she tilted her head upwards towards the sky. The sky was gradually changing to a soft, vibrant orange and pink. She sighed and took in the leaves of the trees. She hadn't really noticed that the season was changing, morphing. The once lush and green leaves were darkening. Yellow and occasional brown leaves peppered the tree. September was upon them already and she hadn't even noticed.

She frowned slightly as she watched the leaves gently break from their branches and float to the ground. Konoha was transcending into winter, while everyone was still blissfully stuck in a summer mentality. The girl willed her feet to move, she was so close! But her heart commanded that she compose herself before meeting him. Karin didn't understand the feelings she was experiencing. She knew she loved Sasuke. He was strong and rebellious and handsome as hell. What more was there for her to mull over? Never before was her conciousness clouded with so much doubt. Closing her eyes she contemplated their relationship.

Teammates. They were teammates. He had sought her out and requested that she come with him on his mission to kill his brother. It was more than Haruno could say at the very least. Her Sasuke-kun had craved power and understood that it could never be achieved in this God forsaken town. Konoha. Merely the the nest for weaklings to spawn. But still, the red head could feel a dull ache in her chest at the thought of him. All she ever did was done to capture his attention and his heart. The image of his emotionless stare swam behind her eyelids.

Cold.

He had always been cold to her. No matter what they, as team Hebi had been through together, he didn't give her the time of day. She opened her eyes and stared at the sky and could feel two miniscule tears slip down her cheeks quickly. She stared intently at the sky, trying to stop the tears. She was _not Sakura_, she had no reason to blubber like an idiot.

But Pinky. She evoked something in him that shifted his frigid exterior aside and exposed the inner Sasuke. The man he was beneath all of that. Karin glared at the sky, thinking about the girl. How could he see something in her?

It had been Karin who had spent the past few years with him, every day. It was her that had been specifically asked to join him. He had never once asked Sakura to accompany him. The girl said she cared about him, but where had she been with Sasuke was grieving for his brother? She wasn't there, She had never been there for him. If she had really, desperately wanted to be with him, she would have gone with him to seek power. And would have spent every waking moment searching for him, instead of only the occasional rescue mission.

Karin couldn't help but feel hatred bubbling inside her at the concept. She would crush Sasuke's pink haired teammate. She would never lose to one who thought she had the right to his affections just because she knew him longer. Sakura knew the old Sasuke-kun. The genin, the weak unexperienced boy that hadn't yet lived his life, but she, Karin was the one who knew the current Sasuke. The powerful, stoic man that he had become. She had witnessed the Uchiha's most trying times and she'd been a part of his most important battles.

Her fingers tightened into a fist. She wouldn't lose. The woman wanted Sasuke for herself and she would never allow such an insignificant whore stop her. Her fist collided with the wall with a smacking sound. Karin had forgotten her doubts and was ready to see him. Never would she allow anyone to see this side of her. They would always see her stubborn, seductive shell. But she'd be damned if they ever saw her weakness.

Karin pushed herself up from the wall and quickly shook her hair out before flattening it out. Her fingers rubbed her cheeks, erasing the remaining tear tracks from her face. After a few blinks to rid the prickling from behind her eyes, Karin resumed her composure and easily hopped over the wall of the compound. The gate would no doubt be locked.

Sasuke was angry, and he would have most likely locked himself away to block out unwelcome visitors. But, of course, exceptions were made.

The red head landed with a slight crunch on the gravel in the street and walked towards the main house, brushing off dust from her torso as she walked. Once again, the hip swing recommenced as she strode towards the main entrance. She was excited. Already, a vision of his image flittered through her mind. It had really been too long since she'd last witnessed his sweaty, rugged sparring sessions. A small, attempt at a sexy smirk settled naturally onto her lips as her hand reached out to grasp the sliding door and slide it open.

But soon, the door was slammed to the side from the inside. The only sound residing in the square was her startled gasp and the crash of the door hitting the other side as Karin froze and found herself drowning in a pair of blood red and intensely furious eyes.

***

Darkness surrounded the pink tressed Kunoichi. She had run home, eager to reach solitude. The last thing in the world she wanted was to stay in public with the slight chance of bumping into someone she knew.

The embarrassment would have been unfathomable had she accedently ran into Neji or Shikamaru. Her face was the brightest red imaginable. The lack of breath in her lungs, plus the hot tears had dramatically changed the hue of her skin from her norml pale ivory to startling and blotchy red. Sobs were racking her body, forcing her to breathe in shaky heaves. Her nose was running uncontrollably and she was sure she looked like complete shit.

Having your heart shattered was bad enough in the first place, but having your pain publicly displayed would have made her feel worse. But in the safety of her small apartment, she felt completely free to bawl her eyes out.

The moment she'd arrived, she had quickly slammed, locked and bolted her newly repaired door (The incident with Kiba had left her previous door off it's hinges with the broken knob hanging loosely in the socket). Next she strode over to the windows and closed the curtains, blocking out the setting sun. It was beautiful, but at the time it's beauty was wasted on her. She couldn't really see it.

Sighing, Sakura finally allowed the breath she'd been holding out. She couldn't really think of why she was in such a hurry to block it all out. It wasn't as if all of the people she knew would come barging in if she didn't close the curtains. Yet an unexplicable relief settled inside her as the last crack of light was shrouded, just the same.

Safe inside her home. Safe to let it all out.

Sakura whimpered pitifully and made her way to the kitchen to make herself a cup of warm tea, and then headed towards the bedroom to, she wasn't afraid to admit, wallow.

After she had been so determined to get over him and move on, it seemed that the one to move on was him. Except she couldn't accept that as the complete truth. To move on, first you had to care about something deeply.

He had never cared about her.

_'Stupid, stupid Sakura. You're always setting yourself up for this.'_ Her inner chastised, but weakly. Even she, the cherry-blossom girl's strong and ruthless inner personality, couldn't muster the energy to cheer up.

And so, Sakura merely set down her tea and crawled beneath the covers into a tiny ball to hide away from the world.

"Stupid list_." _She mumbled to herself before falling into a dark, teary sleep.

***

"Karin." Came the menacing growl directed at her.

Karin's eyebrows furrowed and she took a tiny step forwards towards him. "Sa-Sasuke-kun. What is it?" She asked him. His harsh, biting tone threw her off.

"What are you doing here." He demanded. Once again, as he had done several times before, he didn't phrase it as a question. Karin's eyes widened and the words stuck in her throat, she couldn't regain her composure. His red eyes narrowed as he waiting for a reply.

When none came he snarled and took a menacing step towards her, causing her to back off.

"_Answer _me." Came his next command. The Uchiha's aura was so dark, Karin's fear seem to double. Never before had so much of his anger been directed at her in this way. Of course she'd seen him furious and witnessed his anger. But never, _never _had she assumed that he would soon be acting that way to her.

"I-I came to..to see you." She forced out of her throat. The woman moved forwards and grabbed a hold of his forearm, begging him to explain why he was treating her this way.

"Don't _touch _me." He snapped before turning around and walking back inside. The woman stood there, utterly confused.

_'It wasn't supposed to be like this.' _The words echoed in her mind and before she knew it she was following him inside. She quickly scanned the complex building until she found his fuming aura in the kitchen. She hurriedly ran towards the room and found him with his hands clenching the edge of the sink, his knuckles brutally white. It seemed as though he were withholding so much and was trying to keep his cool.

"Sasuke-kun. Why are you acting like this?" Sasuke froze and became rigidly still as she spoke. His murderous expression made Karin want to cry. She didn't understand it. "What have I done?" She asked, fearing the answer.

"Tch. Do you know how much trouble you've caused with the sick, twisted lies you tell?"

The woman blinked and hesitated. "I haven't told any lies to you, Sasuke-kun. Not one." she assured him before starting to move close to him once more. But what happened next stopped her in her tracks. Sasuke slammed his fist so roughly into the counter top that it left dents and splinters in the wood. He stood stalk still and Karin was afraid to approach him any further. Swallowing deeply she prepared herself.

"Not to me? Hn. And to others?" He turned around and stared her down. Karin was beginning to regret coming here, he was losing the self control that he was so recognized for.

"Answer me." The words were pushed through tightly gritted teeth.

"I-I don't know w-what you're talking about." She answered him. Comprehension was starting to dawn on her.

He disappeared and re-entered her field on vision right in front of her. His eyes were cold and angry beyond reason. He grabbed her around her neck and shoved her against the wall with his hand.

"Now. Now you've lied to me." Came a dark mutter as his hands begin to tighten around her throat

With her hands, Karin reached up and tried to release the pressure he had on her, stopping her breath. Tears sprang into her eyes and she regarded him pleadingly to let her go. He scowled at her.

"Answer the question Karin."

Suddenly Karin fully understood the meaning of his anger towards her, what he meant when he said she was a liar. He was refering to the few weeks past where she had told- told Haruno that he had orders from the Hokage.

Her tears began flowing freely as she felt her heart breaking. _'This was all about...'_

He began to lift her up from the ground, off her feet. Into the air, without any air to breathe. Sasuke deepened his scowl and looked as though he were disgusted by her very being. Almost as though he couldn't stand touching her anymore, he released his death grip and and the woman fell to the hard floor onto her knees sobbing.

_'Sakura.' _Karin couldn't stop the cries and the anger that were erupting.

"I did." She said from the ground, staring intently at her hands.

Sasuke, who had begun walking away from her, froze in his place. Karin pressed forward. There was no way she'd allow the man to see her weakness, to hear her cry and beg for forgiveness so she held her voice steady and strong.

"I told her that you had been sent by the Hokage to rescue her because the Godaime didn't believe she could do it alone. I said that from- from then on, ever since that mission we went on together, that you would replace her position on the team with me. A-and I said that you didn't- you didn't care about her at all."

Chancing a look at him, she could see his fingers clenching and unclenching into tight fists. He was holding back, fighting desperately for his control to return.

"_Why_?" He spat

"Be-because I love you Sasuke-kun! I have for so long. It's not fair, that she can draw all your attention, when I get nothing Sasuke-kun! Nothing. I was there for you the whole time, and that- that little bitch was nowhere to be found!" Karin crawled onto her hands and knees and then started to lift herself to her feet.

Ignoring the bruises that were surely forming around her sore neck, she pressed on.

"I see only you! I see your strength. I see the way you fight and your determination that no other sad, pathetic ninja could ever match. I see your handsomeness and I notice and memorize every look you make. I know your sheer, raw power. You left behind this stupid village in search of something more, something _better. _And you found us! You have Hebi still, Sasuke. We're still here and I'm still here waiting for you to see that pitiful and _weak _pink haired idiot for what she is."

"She couldn't stand the power Sasuke. She didn't understand you, but me? I do! And I always have. I see you and I just wanted for you to look away from Haruno for _once _and see me too." Karin finished with a choked cry.

He turned around but suddenly his vision was filled with a blurry flash of red hair flying and the girl flinging herself onto him.

Karin reached upwards, stood on the very tips of her toes and with all the love she felt for him, pressed her lips tightly to his.

***

Sakura was still in bed, the world being too scary for her to emerge. With her shaky hands she pulled the blanket from over her head and stared at the clock sitting on her nightstand. She closed her eyes, flung the covers over herself, just she had before and tried to fall asleep once more. It hadn't been very long. She'd only been out for half an hour. Groaning she pulled her legs up to her chest and squeezed her eyes tighter together.

The memories of the day's events played in her head, like a film. She could see everything clearly, as though she had the misfortune of catapulting backwards through time and being forced to relive them.

Setting Sasuke up with all the other girls, walking to the park with Lee, introducing Katsumi and the Uchiha, preparing the picnic and the food. All that work. She remembered walking with Lee as Sasuke and Katsumi stayed behind, coming back to find them passionatly locked together. All she could do as run away, cry her eyes out on the bench clutch her list tightly in her hands. She could remember hearing Karin taunt her about how much he didn't love her.

"_....did you finally come to terms with the fact that Sasuke-kun couldn't care less about you?"_

Sakura could remember feeling angry and hurt and then she left. Running home towards peaceful and quiet solitude....

Without.

The.

List.

The pinkette eyes widened horribly wide as she shot up from the sea of blankets. She bolted upright, fear sinking into every facet of her being.

Oh, fuck no.

After all that had happened and that had been harshly said, Sakura had left the park. Without taking her list from her lap and putting it back into her weapon's pouch. It was probably sitting underneath that bench at this very moment.

Shrieking, she leaped out from under all the layers of her bed and scrambled around her room. The woman tore around the small area. First, she double checked her weapon's pouch to find it, for the first time, empty. No comforting crumpled up piece of paper neslted safely at the bottom to reassure her. After the fact was confirmed, Sakura's mind went into a complete frenzy.

Suddenly she began throwing clothes around her room, for something quick to throw on so she could get the hell out of there and get the paper back. Before somebody else found it.

She found her training outfit first, and figured it was easy to run in, so she tossed it on haphazardly and rushed from the room. Grabbing her keys, the woman left the apartment and quickly locked only the one lock. She was only planning on being a couple minutes anyways.

_'Oh god. Please be there.' _

The Kunoichi dashed from her apartment complex and began retracing her steps towards the park, following the exact route she had taken home in case it had just slipped out of her pouch. Her eyes were trained hard on the ground as she traveled across the village rapidly.

But somehow, in the back of her mind, some little voice told her that this would _not _turn out the way she wanted it to, at all. Because she was Sakura. When had things ever gone the way she wanted them to?

***

Karin tightly pressed herself to the Uchiha, desperately seeking a small sliver of the feelings he felt for Sakura. She moved lips against his furiously, fighting to draw something from him, though he kept his lips tight and unmoving. Her arms began to lift up towards his neck to coil her snake-like limbs around him.

As she lifted them, his hands shot out, faster than they had ever before and he grabbed her wrists and pushed her away roughly. Karin flew out of his grasp and hit the wall behind her harshly, gasping from his abrupt behaviour.

"Sasuk-"

"Don't touch me." He snapped violently at her. Looming ahead of her he stood still, with a look of complete disdain apparent on his face. "Don't _ever _touch me again, Karin."

Karin broke out into heavy sobs. He didn't and would never want her. She pulled her knees up to her chest and cried there as he turned and began to walk away. Suddenly she sprung her head up. It was unbelievable. After the ordeal, she was acting like, like Sakura. Exactly in the same position, crying over the same person, her heart broken in he same way.

She felt a surge of vicious anger at everybody. At Sakura, for stealing Sasuke-kun from her. At Sasuke for hurting her and refusing to love her. But at herself for letting her guard so far down that she'd begun to act like a human being that disgusted her.

Before she could stop herself, the next words escaped her mouth. "You're pathetic Sasuke. You don't care about _anything." _Her biting tone stopped him from walking away.

"You- you are in-incapable of l-l-loving anyone. You may think-k you love th-that stupid little bitch on- on your other team and you c-can try and convince yourself th-that- that she means something to you. But she doesn't. I s-saw her today."

"So? Is that supposed to mean something to me?" He said, though he was listening closely.

"D-don't act as though you kn-know nothing about it, you- you coward. I p-passed her and I saw what you did. Is breaking hearts just a game for you? "

"I have no idea what you talking about Karin." He said, but he needed to stay. What had she seen? What had happened to Sakura?

The woman on the ground barked out a harsh laugh and stood up, facing him head on. Her voice had lost it's shaky quality, and had switched back to it's usual rough, high pitched tone. "She was sitting alone, in the park on a bench. Crying her eyes out. Whining and sobbing as though you had beaten her or something. For a moment, one small moment I thought that maybe you had finally seen sense."

"Please Sasuke-kun! Forget about her! I'm right here for you and I always have been! She's nothing! I see who you are and I want to be a part of it! Please!" She begged, reaching forwards to grab his hand.

Sasuke retracted his hand so it was out of her reach and snarled. Karin's face crumbled and she erupted into fresh tears

"I told you never to touch me. You disgust me." He started. "Where is she?" He asked her suddenly.

"I-what?"

"Where. Is. _Sakura?_" He growled menacingly.

She chuckled darkly. He was going to go after her. The woman in front of him could be a piece of trash for all he cared. Karin would never replace Sakura in his eyes.

"I don't know." She mumbled before turning her head away from him.

"_Karin_." Sasuke commanded, his voice raising with impatience.

"She was in the park last I saw her, sitting on a bench near the fountain-" But before she could finish her monotone sentence, the Uchiha had disappeared leaving her with only a few final parting words.

"You'd best be gone when I return. I don't want to see you again."

His absence left her to herself to cry. After all they had been through, brushed off was the only outcome she'd gotten.

_'He doesn't even care.' _In the end Sakura was right. Karin had been heading off to get her heart shattered by Sasuke who had chosen another girl. Only it wasn't the same girl Sakura had been greiving about.

It was her.

***

Sasuke sprinted to the park, fast. He had assumed that Sakura was pleased and would want to rub the situation with Katsumi in his face, but after hearing what Karin had said, Sasuke had a strange feeling that maybe she wasn't as over him as she claimed to be. The man hated to admit it even to himself, but a small insignificant amount of hope had risen in his chest.

The park was deserted, but for the occasional couple walking hand in hand or working man returning home. The fountain whired in the center of the small clearing but the bench in front of it was empty.

Sasuke sighed and plopped down onto the bench, his finger subconciously running feverishly through his hair.

_Women._ Between the three woman he'd interacted with today, there wasn't a decent one out of them. Molested by one, angered by another and thoroughly confused by the most important one to him.

"Teme?" came an innocent voice from around the fountain.

"Dobe."

"What are you doing here? The park isn't exactly your typical hang out." Naruto asked gesturing with a jerk of his torso around him as he approached the bench slowly with his arms leisurely thrown behind his head.

"Hn. It's not your's either." Came the quick reply from the Uchiha. He bent forwards and tousled his hair.

Naruto laughed. "I guess your right. I came out looking for Sakura-chan; I haven't seen her all day...What's eating you Teme?"

A frustrated sigh escaped his lips before he could stop, causing Naruto to quirk his eyebrow in confusion. "I'm guessing I should maybe sit down for this?"

"Dobe? When did all the Kunoichi lose their minds?" He asked the ground beneath his feet. Naruto burst out laughing and slapped Sasuke's back, hard.

"You think I have the answer to that?! You, the egotistical stick-up-the-ass Uchiha is asking _me _about women, of all 're better off asking Sakura-chan or something_._ How would I know?" He asked, chortling to himself.

"Well I figured that since I was asking about insanity, I would ask an expert." Sasuke muttered with a smirk.

"Wha...? TEME! I'm going to get you for that one." Naruto crossed his arms grumpily, pouting in a childish way.

"Hn." Sasuke said, smirk still apparent on his face.

"And wipe that stupid smirk off your ugly emo face..." The Kyuubi vessle began, but he trailed off at the end, his eyebrows furrowed. "Hey what's this?" The boy got off the bench and got down on his hands and knees. Sasuke looked up curiously.

_'What an idiot.' _

The man grunted as he grasped towards something at the back of the bench.

"Ha!" He beamed triumphantly as he sprung back up, a worthless piece of garbage in his hand.

"Congrats, Dead last. Another piece of crap for your collection." Sasuke stated sarcastically. Naruto glared at him and began to unfold the piece of worn out paper.

"My my, aren't we just a little sarcastic ray of sunshine today. You know, if you had seen it, you should have picked it up. Not picking up litter is as bad as littering itself." Naruto chastised. He was determined to become Hokage and his ambitions had caused him to develop an unhealthy love for Konoha. Since Sasuke had returned, he noticed the changes in the boy. No longer the hooligan that vandalized the Hokage monuments, Naruto had matured and had started to take great pride in the village. Picking up litter, making sure that no immature kids set fire to garbage cans and graffitied the buildings.

Sasuke rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Tch. I would have."

"But?"

"But I was saving it, so that some sad person with no real talent could pick it up and feel as though they had accomplished something. It turned out to be you, so you're welcome."

"ASSHOLE! You're such a bastard!" Naruto shouted. He glanced down at the momentarily forgotten sheet of paper and returned to examining it. "I wonder..." He finished unfolding it and held it in front of his face.

His eyes widened as he read the faded letters adorning the top of the page.

_12 Fail-safe ways to Forget about a Certain Stubborn, Black-Haired, Hormone-less Sharingan wielding Jerk And Get on With your Life because It Is Too Short To Spend All Your Precious Time Chasing After Sasuke Uchiha_

_By: Sakura Haruno _

Oh shit.

_'Crap Crap Crap. What if he sees this!?' _He screamed inside his head. Naruto really didn't want to be responsible for something so important to Sakura. He couldn't just throw it away because she needed it. But the Bastard would be suspicious if he didn't.

This was not good.

Naruto watched Sasuke's face cautiously, waiting for the perfect moment to rapidly hide the list in his shirt. As soon as Sasuke sighed and put his face in his hands again, Naruto flipped open his jacket and roughly shoved the crumpled list in his pocket, wincing as it made a slight crunching sound. He exhaled in relief though. He was fairly sure that Sasuke hadn't noticed.

"Dobe."

Oh no.

"Uh...yeah?" Naruto said, praying to Kami that it would be about something else. But then he remember the man's God-forsaken eyesight. And his bloodline.

_'Oh jeez.'_

"What was it?" Sasuke asked with a bored expression

"What was what?" Go with the denial. It worked nearly everytime. Act stupid. They always made jokes about his level of intelligence, so maybe Sasuke would just determine him a lost cause and drop it.

"The paper." Or maybe not.

"Uh..I- What? The pap- Oh the _paper_! It was nothing, you know. Like you said. Just trash. Nothing but good old trash." Naruto curse his lack of lying ability in his mind.

"Then why's it in your jacket, Dead last?" Sasuke asked nonchalantly.

"It's not. There's nothing in my jacket pocket." Suddenly, before Naruto could stop him, Sasuke whipped out his hand and reached into the jacket, pulling out the paper lightning fast.

"S-Sasuke-teme, it's just like you said. It's uh...for my collection. Yup. You were right" Naruto blurted out, swallowing hard. He was sure that the Uchiha's keen ears had heard the sound of his gulp.

Naruto noticed his eyes begin to read the first few words on the page before he decided to act. Equally as fast as the Uchiha, he reached out and yanked the paper from his grasp and bolted away into the trees.

"Gotta go!" He called out behind him. All too soon however, he could hear Sasuke following him.

_'Shit! He's faster!' _The Uzumaki cursed. He tried to pick up his pace but the Uchiha had caught up and appeared out of nowhere. The man tackled him around the waist, toppling them from the branches of the trees they'd been jumping in, to the hard ground bellow.

"Argh! Bastard!" Naruto growled. As they were tumbling from the high branches, Sasuke tore the paper from Naruto's grasp and kicked against a tree, flipping himself upright. He landed on his feet gracefully. Naruto however wasn't as nimble.

"Dammit!" He shouted as he landed roughly on his back with a dull thud. The wind was knocked right out of him. "What's the matter with you! It's just a piece, a piece of paper!" He wheezed, clutching his stomach.

But it was too late. Sasuke was already reading the paper quickly, scanning it's contents with a terrible, murderous scowl on his face.

"Teme, it's just a stupi-" His sentence was cut short as Sasuke's head shot up from the piece of paper, silencing the babbling blonde. Naruto closed his eyes and groand at the sight of the Sharingan. Now they were both going to be pissed at him. Sasuke snarled and shot into the trees, heading straight in the direction of Sakura's apartment.

"Sasuke! SASUKE!" Naruto shouted behind him. But it was too late. Naruto groaned once again, for the shit had really hit the fan on this one.

Definitely. Not. Good.

***

Sakura felt like crying once again. She's scanned the whole area twice. Underneath the benches, around the fountain, in the garbage cans distributed around the leafy expanse of park.

Why did this stuff always happen to her?! The best she could hope for was that a child had found it and had just put it in their pocket, like a treasure. Of perhaps an older citizen, who didn't know who she nor Sasuke was...

But she groaned at the very thought. Everyone knew the Uchiha.

Dejected and extremely upset, she began her return home. During her search, it had become dark, the very last traces of sunlight were fading quickly along the horizon, hardly even visible. She sighed and stared at the few stars that had appeared already.

God. What she wouldn't give to be up there, far away from the world.

Sakura manuvered the city streets without really paying attention. The route was programmed so deeply into her brain, that even when her mind was elsewhere her feet would carry her home.

As she neared the complex, she shivered. Something didn't feel right.

Curiously, she walked up the steps slowly, wondering why she was suddenly feeling hesitant about going into her apartment. The answer became frighteningly clear as she rounded the last flight of stairs and came face to face with her door. Which was open.

The knob had been broken and the door left open. Sakura obeyed her instinct and automatically reached down to grab a Kunai. However, she cursed her lack of preparation, she hadn't brought any. She had only stepped out of her home for a little while and in her haste had neglicted bring any weapons with her. Gathering chakra into her balled up fist, she slowly headed towards the open and eerie apartment, ready to face down however was in there. Though at a slight disadvantage because of her weaponless stance, she could still kick this person's ass.

Taking it one step at a time she marched into the seemingly deserted living room. Suddenly, a blur of movement caught her eye in the corner of the room. Sakura didn't hesitate and wait to miss her chance. Swinging around, she threw her fist towards the intruder's form. The person dodged and soon Sakura found herself caught by the wrist and slammed hard into the back wall.

Rendered surprised by the assault, she felt the breath being knocked out of her lungs from the impact with the wall. Soon a fist swung forwards and landed beside her left ear with so much force that it knocked a hole into the plaster.

Sakura was still gasping for air in her tight chest when she stopped breathing all togehter. As she moved her eyes slowly upwards she came face to face with Sasuke's sharingan.

"Sasuke?! I don-"

"What the _fuck _is this?" He demanded, shoving a dilapitated piece of paper in front of her face. It took Sakura a moment for her eyes to adjust in the bad lighting before she could make out the words on the page.

She gasped and reached upwards, pulling it out of his expended hand.

"Where did you find this?" She asked meekly. He growled and removed his hand from the large gap in the wall. Stepping away, he began to pace.

"Sasuke, answer the God damned question! _Where _did you find it?" Sakura was scared this would happen. The one person in the world she didn't want finding this list, had found it.

"I didn't. Naruto did and tried to hide it." He growled. "What the fuck are you playing at Sakura?" He asked.

"I-"

"I don't believe this. You're sick. For the past few months, everything that's happened has all been because of some sick little project you gave yourself."

"Sasuke, it's not like tha-" She started, trying to explain the situation to him calmly.

"What is it like then?!" He shouted at her. It was one of the first times that Sakura had really heard him raise his voice.

"I was just t-trying to-"

"To what? Twist and warp my life like some disgusting game? Move on? Get over me, while at the same time, toying with me?"

"No! You don't get it!" She was panicking. He was upset, just like she thought he'd be. She'd never wanted him to find out about the list.

"What don't I get?!" He demanded, halting his furious pacing around the room and stepping imtimidatingly close to her.

Sakura sighed and closed her eyes. It was breaking her heart to see him so mad at her. "You weren't supposed to find out." the woman started quietly. "It was just some silly little thing I made because I was getting tired of dreaming and wishing for something that clearly wasn't going to happen. I was angry at you for brushing m-"

"So you're admitting that you did this out of spite." Sasuke spat.

"No! Stop interrupting and listen to what I'm saying! You're not even giving me the chance to explain!" Sasuke frowned and resumed his pacing, letting her go on.

"I was angry at you for brushing me off all the time and that's when I made the list, but I wasn't following it to hurt you or to mess with you! I was following the steps so that_ I _would stop hurting. You don't understand what it was like, being in love with someone who treated you as though you were nothing."

"I never-" He began, but this time it was Sakura who cut him off. She scoffed loudly, laughing coldly.

"You didn't? Everytime I asked you to ramen or to train with me, what did you say? When I needed you after losing patients at the hospital and I begged you to stay with me, what did you say? The only times I ever got to see you was at training, but you'd never pay any attention to me. You only focused on beating Naruto. I saw you on your check ups at the hospital, but other than that? Can you honestly tell me you made any effort to make me feel a bit wanted before the list?"

He scowled and shoved his hands in his pockets.

"That's what I thought."

"You think that gives you the right to mess around with my life? All the times you screwed with my head Sakura? You had the right to do that?"

"I didn'-"

"No?" He started listing things on his fingers. "I was shunned by you for a week because of your stupid list, I had to watch as you flirted and dated other guys. For what reason? To make me jealous? To bother me? I went on date after date with a bunch of idiotic women because of your list. You can try and deny the fact that the list didn't meddle in my life but it did! I mean for God sake Sakura! You turned everything I said into a God damned joke for a day!"

Sakura felt hot tears race down her cheeks. It had never been her intention for him to be so upset over this. She could tell he was upset. Never before had he ever said so many words in his lifetime, so she could comprehend the enormity of the situation.

"I never meant for it to hurt you like this."

"Hurt me? Don't flatter yourself." He spat through his tightly gritted teeth. "I'm pissed off. I never thought you were a manipulative little bitch, but clearly I was wrong. God, I'm tired of these mind games you've been playing."

Sakura was crying fully now. Guilt and hurt coursed through her system as she crossed her arms over her mid section.

"I'm so sorry Sasuke. But you're not being fair."

"Don't talk to me about fair!" He stated as he pinned her to the wall. His hand were on either side of her face and she wore a look of surprise on her features.

"Tell me, what's fair about what you did?"

"I was just trying to protect my own heart! And why do you care so much if I got over you!? Why do you _care?_ I loved you for so long Sasuke. Years and years, but you never seemed to care then. It didn't matter at all then!"

He didn't say anything, but he retracted his arms slowly, staring her in the eyes. Sakura swallowed, scared of his anger and of his Sharingan, staring blatantly at her. He pushed himself up off the wall and walked away to the other side of the room. Sakura stood still, afraid to move.

"I never said I didn't care." He said darkly.

Sakura rolled her eyes sharply. "But you never said you did either! How was I supposed to know that? I'm not a damn mind reader!"

"What do you mean, I never showed it? I showed it many times. It's not my fault if you chose to ignore them, Sakura."

"I never ignored anything. I was just convinced that it didn't mean anything. But this is all pointless anyways. All these confessions?! It's just a bit too little too late, Sasuke. I've moved on, I'm over you."

He snarled at her. "Confessions?" He smirked, "Well aren't we just so high and mighty tonight. I said that I cared about what happened to you. You're a teammate and the outcomes of my missions depend on you a small amount. You're a decent medic and I have no choice but to work with you on this broken excuse of a team." He wanted to clap a hand to his mouth, to prevent the words from leaving his mouth. He didn't mean them. No matter how angry he was and upset that she'd made the choice to get forget the love she had for him, he knew how important Team Seven was to her. Despite his anger, he could not crush the feelings he had for her and regretted his words immediately. Her face began to fall, tragically wiping away any strength she had left.

Sakura's lip quivered from the pain his words were inflicting upon her. She was a tool to help further him in his career? He didn't care about their old team at all? Kakashi? Naruto? Her? They were just a 'broken excuse of a team' now?

At that moment Sakura desperately wished her list had done it's job. That she didn't love him anymore, because maybe if she'd gotten over him, his words wouldn't sting as much. She sobbed from the pain of her sloppily mended heart cracking again.

She brushed past him and started walking down the hall towards her room without another word to him. He was anguished at the way the light seemed to evaporate from her eyes, the will to fight dissipated. As she walked away he follwed her and gently grabbed her wrist, stopping her from going any farther away. She halted, but she didn't turn to look at him.

"I never wanted you to move on." He said in a softer voice than before. "You weren't supposed to be anyone else's."

Sakura forced away whatever hope or elation she felt at his words. He had broken her.

"I don't care anymore Sasuke. I'm not yours. I hate you. I know I've said it before, but I can't forgive you for hurting me again. My heart can't take much more. It just can't."

Sasuke looked at the back of her cherry pink head sadly as she continued.

"I hate you so much. I will always hate you. I _hate_ you." She sobbed. She begin repeating herself like a mantra, trying to convince herself that she did.

Sasuke exhaled his breath and pulled on her wrist and looked her straight in the eyes. He tugged on her arm once again and pulled her to his chest as he put is hands lightly on the side of her head.

"I'm sorry." Were the only words he spoke, regret stitched into his voice. Sakura was about to step away before he quickly lowered his head and kissed her softly. Sakura's eyes widened sharply as she felt his lips touch her's. She couldn't let herself believe it. The shock from it all kept her standing still.

Soon, her eyes fell closed and relaxed but she refused to let her body react and return his action. His lips slanted over hers perfectly in a chaste kiss. Soon, however, he released her face and moved away. By the time her eyes fluttered open, he was gone.

Sakura brought two fingers and touched her lips. Tears immediately began to flow and she broke down. She fell to the floor and laid down, succumbing to the despair that settled over her.

What had she done?

He was gone and she'd pushed him away with a brutal lie. A lie that she could tell him and herself a thousand times, but that she could never mean.

She could never, ever hate him.

She struggled to breathe and she began gagging from the force of all her tears. Everything had come crashing down around her.

She could never, ever hate him.

Sakura bit her fist to try and muffle the cries she was making but she couldn't. The pain was too much. She wanted to run outside, all the way to the Uchiha district, to him.

She could never, ever hate him.

Because she loved him too much.

***

The next morning Sasuke awoke and moved into his bathroom to have a cold shower to clear his mind. Thoughts of her plagued his memory and images of the previous night were even worse.

To think, that Sakura Haruno, who had always loved him, no matter what he did or the crimes he committed, had stopped. And instead of him rejecting her and breaking her heart, she had done it to him.

He slapped the tiles of the shower wall and rested his head against it, letting the water run over him. She was so troublesome! He couldn't believe what he had done last night. Never before had he lost control around anyone from their old team. The man never spoke more than a few words at a time, yet that girl could make him speak and yell and shout hundreds of words at a time. And he'd kissed her. How would be able to interact with her now?

Not to mention the fact that she rejected him blatantly.

Finally deciding that he needed to carry on with his life, he finished his shower and got dressed. As he sat at his table in the kitchen, staring at his hands in silence he heard a ring from the gate to the district. Walking over to the door, he attempted to surpress the small hope in his chest that she had changed her mind and had come to him, his made his way to the gate.

When he got there he noticed an Anbu in full gear awaiting him. Opening the gate with little enthusiasm, he was greeted by the Anbu and informed that Lady Tsunade had requested his presence at the Hokage tower as quickly as possible. He handed him a scroll which was simply a formality, a formal summon to the tower, and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Sasuke closed the gate from the other side this time and jumped onto the rooves of the building. He jumped quickly between each one to make it to the tower in good time.

When he arrived, he was instructed to go directly to the Hokage's office. He stood outside the large doors and knocked politely.

"Enter" He heard her call out. Accepting his cue to join her, he opened the door and walked in.

"Close the door please, Sasuke." She said formally. Sasuke took the hint and understood that she'd called him here to discuss a mission.

"I've asked you here to request that you complete an S- ranked mission for Konoha." She started. He inclined his head in acknowledgement of her statement.

"Now. I'll understand if you choose to refuse. I need one of my more talented Anbu to travel to Amegakure. This is a matter of great importance and stealth. There have been several rumors of a league of ninja organizing themselves there. Sound familiar?" Sasuke nodded gravely. It sounded very familiar.

"The rumors surrounding them have been hazy, but from what our scouts and other informants have gathered, they were former worshipers of Pein and the Akatsuki, as many of the residents of Amegakure were at the time. The destruction of their idealistic group left them furious. Since the end of the battle, we assume that they have been trying and working hard to regroup and structure their little operation before making a move. If we leave this too long, it has a lot of potential of repeating history." Sasuke listened attentively. He had a feeling that he knew where this was going.

"Therefore. I wish to send you to Amegakure to infiltrate this band before they have the oppurtunity to actually go anywhere. It will require a lot of stealth. You will need to manage to get into the city first, which will be hard enough considering it's security measures. Even Jiraiya had difficulties getting past it's borders. You will meet up with two other shinobi. One from Suna and another from Kirigakure, our strongest allies. Together we will need to you go undercover and act as though you wish to join the group."

"As I'm sure you realize, this will need some serious Genjutsu on your part. The name Uchiha is well known in other lands besides The Land of Fire. After you have made ties with the organization-"

"You'll need me to send you all the information I can get my hands on." He stated blankly.

"Precisely. Anything you can get. Their plans, supply records, shipment details, allies in others villages if there are any. Once you have procurred all you can, we, the other Kage's and I, wish for you to destroy the organization from the inside. I'm sure they will not pose much of a threat for three skilled shinobi, considering that they will still be fairly disorganized and unprepared and most likely still trying to recruit. These men and women are not Akatsuki. They are simply idealistic, proud and driven by anger. Kill them if they pose a serious threat to Konoha. The Leader espescially. Do you think you can do it?"

Sasuke nodded solemly. "Aa." He knew as soon as she had begun speaking what he would need to be and he was prepared to do it. He'd had a taste of the Aatsuki and he wouldn't allow it to be reformed or it's goals upheld.

"This mission will be extremely dangerous and difficult. That I'm sure you understand. As well as..." She trailed off and studied her fingers, which were laced together atop the wood.

Sasuke remained silent and waited for her to continue. He would not press her today or demand explanations. He'd wait it out.

"It will take quite a while to complete. You'll need to stay there for some time." Sasuke stared at her. He should have known. But still, he wished to go. After last night, he didn't have much of a reason to stay.

"I accept, Hokage-sama. When do I leave?"

Sakura stayed inside her apartment alone for hours the next day. Her spirit was broken. She had pushed him away from her and told him that she hated him. Now he probably hated her.

Her and her big mouth. She shouldn't have said anything and it would have worked itself all out. Like it always did. But, she just couldn't stop the words from leaving her mind and now she had lost him.

She spent the majority of the morning in bed, sobbing. She'd heard Naruto banging on her door around ten in the morning, but she chose not to answer him At the moment, she didn't think she could face him without breaking down all over again. Finally, she decided that she needed to get up and do something productive. Padding down the hall in her bare feet, she headed to the kitchen and made herself some hot tea.

Anything to calm her nerves. She blinked several times as she walked. After crying so much, her eyes were raw and bloodshot. As she walked, even the small amout of air movement had her eyes stinging. As she sipped on her tea slowly and tentatively, she noticed something on the floor of her living room.

She set the cup down and stared at it. It had caused her so many problems. It was supposed to be her savior and help her win her life back, but in the end, it had caused her to lose everything she had to begin with.

Suddenly, her temper rose into her throat and she wanted to tear the thing to shreds and shout and scream at it. Let loose. She grabbed the table she was sitting and pushed back, freeing herself from the chair and the legs and marched purposely towards the living room. Breathing roughly from the anger that engulfed her, she seized the stupid page that had destroyed her life and crumbled it into and tight ball and threw it across the room. She leaned against the wall and slid down.

_'I'm going to lose my mind in here.' _She suddenly thought. Banging her head against the wall behind her, Sakura now sufficiently deafened by a steady ringing in her ears, got up and headed to where the paper had landed. She walked to the kitchen with the tiny ball and set it on the table before rummaging around in her drawers to find a lighter.

She didn't want to see it again. She hated it and she hated herself for writing it. Heading to the sink where it would be safest she figured, she began to unfurl the tight and immensely deformed orb. She set the lighter to the corner and was about to set the evil paper on fire when she stopped and felt the lighter slip from her fingers.

Beneath each of her steps, Sakura suddenly notice a thin, slanting and very neat handwriting. She clutched at the sink as she read the words that only one person could have written. If she didn't think it were possible for her to shed any more tears, she was sorely mistaken. As she finished, her hand flew to her mouth and covered it, muffling the sobs coming from her.

She dropped the paper, her fingers no longer strong enough to keep a good grasp on it and it fell to the floor. Sakura ran into her room, changing quickly before she left the house hurriedly.

She needed to find him. There was no way in hell she'd let it end like it had.

And as Sakura made her way through the streets of Konoha faster than she ever had before, a dejected piece of paper lay quietly on her kitchen floor. The words it held on it more precious to Sakura than anything in the world.

_12 Fail-safe ways to Forget about a Certain Stubborn, Black-Haired, Hormone-less Sharingan wielding Jerk And Get on With your Life because It Is Too Short To Spend All Your Precious Time Chasing After Sasuke Uchiha_

_By: Sakura Haruno **And Sasuke Uchiha. **_

_1. Never....I repeat NEVER allow yourself to get lost in his (stunning, gorgeous, beautiful) eyes!: **Don't stop looking in his eyes. Because if your looking in his, he gets to look into yours.  
**__2. Stop Asking Him out! : **He enjoys your presence.  
**__3. Don't offer him compliments!!: **You deserve them more than he does.  
**__4. Do not ogle his body and/or features while at training or on a mission.: **He's ogling yours.  
**__5. Always try to dress your best and look utterly...well...for lack of a better word, hot.: **He think's you look nice all the time.  
**__6. Cut out the –Kun!!: __**It doesn't sound normal to him without it.  
**__7. During sparring sessions, never let him beat you.: __**He never wants to.  
**__8. Replace Each of his "Hn's" with something else in your mind.: **They mean so much more when it comes to you.  
**__9. Feel free to flirt or date whenever you want to.:** No.  
**__10. If the man ever insults you, shun him.:** He'll go insane without you.  
**__11. Take it upon yourself to help set up the Uchiha with another deserving woman.: **He doesn't want anyone else.  
**__12. Burn this list and continue the steps over and over again.: __**Burn it, but don't ever get over him. Because he'll never get over you. **_

***

Sakura tore around Konoha, not stopping to take a breather once. She could not understand why she couldn't find him. The first place she'd checked was the Uchiha district, but he wasn't there. The huge mansion-like compound was deserted. Next place she'd checked was the training grounds.

The man loved to train and his normal way to vent his frustration was by training. However she'd been unable to find him. She had checked every field and had sprinted through the trees as well, just in case.

The girl was beginning to panic. _Where _was he? He had never been hard to find and she was becoming increasingly frigthened. She thought of Naruto and bolted towards Ichiraku. Perhaps he had agreed to a bowl of ramen with their mutual teammate and friend. But even more shocked was she to find that neither of her boys was there.

Sakura whimpered and continued to race around the city. She was about to change course towards the Hokage's tower and ask Tsunade herself, when she heard a familiar voice calling out to her from a distance.

"Sakura-chan!"

Sakura whirled around at the sound of her name and was partly relieve to see Naruto running towards her. She sped towards him and for once, engulfed him in a hug, rather than the other way around.

"Sakura-chan! Where were you? Why didn't you come to the door?! I tried to tell you..."

"Naruto! I've so worried. I can't find Sasu- wait. Tell me what?"

The man look solemn, which wasn't a good sign. It meant that something serious had most certainly happened. "I tried to get a hold of you. I came to your apartment to-"

"Naruto! What happened? Where is Sasuke?" She could feel a rising sense of fear overwhelming her. What was going on?

"He's leaving. He has a mission and he needs to go to Amegakure." He said while looking at the ground. Sakura furrowed her eyebrows, confused. What was the big deal? Sasuke went on missions all the time, they all did.

"I don't understand? What's wrong with that? When is he leaving?" Sakura asked. Naruto sniffed and he said

"He told me to say goodbye to you. He said he'd be leaving around noon." Sakura glanced at her watch, the time was 12:03. So he had probably left by now. Disappointed, yet still not too worried she asked Naruto the first question that popped into her mind.

"When will he be back?"

Naruto looked away and she could see him shaking slightly. Her eyes widened and she could feel her pulse rate quicken. The only thing she could hear was her heart, beating wildly. What was going on?

"Naruto....When is Sasuke coming home?" The tone of urgency was clear in her voice. This was important. She knew that Naruto was hiding something. The words came out slow and delibrate, putting emphasis on eahc syllable.

"It's a pretty serious and dangerous mission Sakura-chan. His mission will t-take at least.." Naruto swallowed and closed his eyes. "At least six months, but most likely i-it could take up to a full- a full year. If he does-"

Sakura gasped and shook her head furiously. He couldn't leave for that long. Of all the things in the world that could go wrong, she didn't want to hear it. She couldn't stand heairng Naruto's doubt.

_'If he does what? Make it back alive? Complete the mission? Oh God no.'_ After reading what he had written, she couldn't let this happen without telling him. She felt her feet moving before her mind had processed the action. She was running faster than she had ever run before. A few times, as she manuevered around people and carts in the streets, she'd almost fallen, her feet moving faster than the rest of her body could keep up. She's almost let her own feet run right out from beneath her.

But it didn't matter. He was leaving. She needed to see him. What if he didn't come back home? What would she do if something happened to him while he was on this mission? Especially if she didn't even get the opportunity to tell him exactly how she felt. She couldn't bear it. The woman willed her feet to move faster. She could see the gates ahead of all the people's heads, but it was early morning and the vendors had rolled out their street carts and woman and children were gathering around them

Sakura choked out a sob and pushed past people, swerved around them. He was probably already gone. The thought made her run faster. She could feel a small stitch in her side, but she ignored it. The pain in her heart was so much greater.

Soon she broke free from the crowds and could see the gates in front of her. He wasn't standing in front of them. She bolted out of the gates, ignoring the calls from the ninja's standing guard. She'd never catch up to him for he was so much faster than her. Holding back the sobs in her throat, in a last moment of desperation, she screamed as loud as she could.

"Sasuke!" She continued to run full force forwards, trying to catch up to him. "Sasuke!!!"

The Uchiha was nowhere to be seen and Sakura was being to lose all of her hope. Finally she stopped and put her hands on her knees, panting fron running so long while crying. Mustering the last of her energy she screamed louder than she had ever in her life. All of her energy helped give her the strength to call out one last time. God he needed to hear her. He needed to come back. Sakura suddenly though of something that might get his attention.

"SASUKE-KUN!!" The sound reverbrated around her, echoing slightly due to the mountains in Konoha. She waited in complete silence trying to hear if she could hear the Uchiha returning. A rustles in the leaves or a twig snapping. Anything at all. She waited there for at least a minute, praying for him to hear her but nothing happened. He was too far and she hadn't gotten to see him before he'd be gone for at least six months of the year.

Weeping, Sakura righted herself and looked longingly out in the direction he'd probably gone.

_'Please come back safely, Sasuke. I love you.'_ She silently sent her message out towards him, wherever he was. Finally, she turned around and began to walk back towards the village, defeated. She hoped she had lots of tea bags left, because she'd be needing lots of them for at least half a year.

"Hn."

Saukra froze where she was. Her feet stopped moving and her heart literally must have jumped from her chest to her head, because all she could here was the thumping in her ears, the blood rushing through them. The swelling in her chest temporaily halted her breathing. She slowly turned around, her face reflecting nothing but complete surprise. And there he was. Fully dressed in his Anbu attire, standing against a tree, leaning backwards casually as though she were calling him back because he'd simply forgotten his lunch.

Her breathing tripled and she couldn't help the strangled cry that escaped her mouth. She faced him and took him in. She only had a limited time to see him before he'd be gone.

"I-I" She couldn't form a coherent thought. She was wasting his time she knew, but the Kunoichi couldn't help it. "D-did you me-mean it?" She finally manged to gasp out weakly. He blinked and crossed his arms, looking away. A faint pink blush dusted his cheeks.

"Sasuke, d-did you mean wh-what you w-wrote?" The girl forced out again. She didn't think she'd hold up if it had been some sick joke or a prank played by Naruto.

The man leaning against the tree stood up straight and looked directly at her again.

"Aa..." Sakura inhaled quickly and deeply and buried her face in her hands, standing there for a moment before she ran the short distance between them and flung her body onto his. She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and buried her face in the crook between his jaw and throat, crying freely. Sasuke's eyes widened from the sudden attack but soon he cautiously and awkwardly wrapped his arms loosely around her waist, not sure how he was supposed to react.

They stayed there for a moment before Sakura looked up and began to speak.

"I can't believe-ve y-you." She said with great big shuddering breaths, calming herself down so that she'd be able to talk. Sasuke winced, he'd expected this. Sakura reluctantly let go of his neck and took a step backwards.

"I meant it Sasuke." She said and he looked down into her eyes, wordlessly. Sakura took another step backwards and wrapped her arms around her stomach staring hard at the ground. Sasuke was forced to let go of his hold on her waist, but he was afraid of what she would say next.

"I meant it. I want to hate you so, _so _much." Sasuke closed his eyes, this was not what he'd been expecting to hear when he'd returned.

"I hate you b-because you took this stupid mission.," She said, tears running down her blotchy cheeks. she blinked and hurt because her eyes had most likely tripled in volume from her crying, like some kind of insect. Sasuke's eyes snapped open once again and he regarded her without blinking.

"I hate you b-because _again_, you tried to leave me without s-saying goodbye." Her voice cracked was she said the last words and she broke up into a fresh wave of tears. The Sharingan user took a small step closer to her.

"And most of all, I hate you so much because even after I made this stupid list and I followed every single step perfectly. And even after you hurt me time and time again these past few month's. Even after I swore that I hated you with my entire being and that I could never forgive you. _Even after _I promised myself that the steps would help me stop loving you, you turned around and made me l-love you even more than I did b-before. I hate you so much..."

With that she completely lost her control and gave into the tears she was trying, and failing to hold back. Sasuke stared at the girl in front him and for the first time in an incredibly long time, smiled a genuine smile. Small, but geniune.

He stepped closer and grabbed her wrists put them onto his chest and he tilted her head up to look at him. He winced when he saw how painfully bloodshot her normally jade green eyes were, because of him. She must have been crying long and hard. He took his thumbs and wiped away the tears from her cheeks, making her blush. Although, she was fairly sure he couldn't tell, because of how red and blotchy her face was. She sniffled, and briefly realized that this was not how she had intended for her lovelife to pan out.

When she'd imagined her special moment, it had never included her crying like a complete and unrefined sap with tears flowing done her cheeks and her nose running like a fountain.

He smirked when he noticed her cheeks heat up and he bent down so that his lips were directly ontop of hers and he whispered.

"I hate you too." Before he shifted his hands to hair and pulled her face forwards, closing the gap. Sakura's hands clutched tightly at his Anbu uniform as she slowly responded to his kiss. It started out innocent, gentle. But soon, he pressed himself to her lips with more force, pushing everything he felt into the kiss. All the anger he'd felt, the frustration, the longing that he'd learned to accept. Everything poured out from him as he crushed his lips to hers in a bruising kiss.

Sakura smiled against his mouth and mirrored his actions. Sasuke grabbed her wrists and spun them around so that her back was against the tree. They broke apart for air and Sakura leaned her forehead against his head and smiled once more. She had been waiting for so long. He took her hands and placed them around his neck before he pressed her tightly to the tree trunk and plunged in for another kiss.

Sakura felt his tongue slide between their lips and touch her bottom lip, asking permission. She grinned playfully and refused to open her mouth. Growling, Sasuke nipped at her bottom lip and caused her to yelp slightly. But it had worked, she opened her mouth to him and he took advantage. His tongue entered her mouth and Sakura moaned happily. He smirked and as he explored her mouth and tasted her fully, he felt happy, for the first time in a long time. Sakura sighed and pushed her fingers through his hair, making him groan appreciatively. He moved down her neck and planted small feathery kisses and nips along her throat, making her gasp, and he briefly wondered how he'd be able to make it half a year without her, now that she was officially his. Pushing those unpleasant thoughts out of his mind he moved back up to her lips and felt her melt back into his touch.

And both of them, the teary pink haired girl and the stoic man shared a mutual thought.

_'Finally.'_

After several minutes, the pair broke apart and simply clutched at each other. Sakura muttered against his neck. "You have to go." Her tone was sad, but inside she was also feeling happy. Now, after so many years, the one thing in the world she wanted most was her's. She closed her eyes and drank in the feel of him. She wished she could take in his scent, but her nose was still stuffy and red from crying.

"Aa." He answered simply. Sakura pulled her arms from around his neck and placed them at her side. Sasuke, very reluctantly pried his arms from their place on her hips. They knew that it was time for him to leave, but neither was terribly anxious for him to go.

"Come on," She said. "You have to go Sasuke." Together, walked away from the tree to the center of the road. As they walked slowly, Sakura gathered a bit of Chakra into her hand and punched him roughly in the shoulder before crossing her arms and pouting slightly. He turned and glared at her, while he rubbed his now throbbing arm.

"I can't believe you actually accepted this stupid mission. Idiot." She mumbled. He looked forwards again and smirked. Sakura spoke after several moments. "Go. Come back safely. You need to leave, but that just means that we'll have to continue this moment when you get back." At this Sasuke's mind was flooded with many not-so-innocent possibilities and he smirked, envisioning his return already.

"Promise me you'll come back this time." Sakura said suddenly. Sasuke knew she wasn't making him promise because she didn't trust him, she was only worried about his safety.

"Aa."

"Promise me." She demanded with authority. He faced her and the man closed the gap between them and kissed her gently one last time. "I promise." He whispered as he pulled away. Sakura felt better hearing him say it. Sasuke didn't often break pacts he made.

"Good. Good." She seemed to relax a bit, "Bye, Sauke. Travel safely and don't fall for any other provocative _Amegakure_ girls while your gone or forget about me in the six to twelve months you'll be gone. Because, I um..." She closed her eyes and wanted to laugh at herself. It had been a long time since she'd flat out blurted this out to him. Not since she was a twelve year old girl had she said this out loud. However, the circumstances had changed quite a bit. "I l-love you, s-so if I find out that you broke your promise I'm going to-"

"Aa." He cut her off and smiled at her. She loved him. So much for her stupid plan to get over him. He looked her directly in the eyes and conveyed what he couldn't put into words with his expression. He'd never been one to spew romantic proclamations, but he tried to reassure her."I will." were the only words he spoke, but Sakura understood much more. Bending down, he kissed her sweetly on the forehead and made her face flush. Before she knew it he was running away from Konoha and her, and toward Amegakure. But Sakura knew that he'd come back as soon as he possibly could. It was no secret that he was impatient. No doubt he'd turn up in two months, having completed his mission early.

She stared in the direction that he'd run in and smiled sadly before turning back towards Konoha, already counting down the minutes until he'd return. She couldn't wait for him to come back, because then Sakura could finally leave these hectic and painful and insane months behind her and move forwards with him. Start her life with him in it. It was cruel really, how he'd had to leave the moment they had each other. The thought made her want to jump and scream and dance but her lungs were sore. Sasuke Uchiha was finally, after years of wishing and months of trying to move on, her's.

The woman chuckled slightly when she thought back to the list that had started it all. The list that was supposed to help her get over him, forget about his egotistical and selfish ways. Leave the Uchiha behind. But instead it had brought them closer than Sakura had ever dreamed. Screw the _'Road to Recovery'._ She'd much rather the road she'd begun to walk down with him, hand in hand. If her love her him was a sickness, than she was perfectly content to stay the diseased and sickly woman she was.

She raised her fingers to her swollen lips and laughed at the concept. For the first time in her life, Sakura was whole heartedly happy that something she had set out to do turned out to be...

A Complete Failure.

_'Step Twelve: Utterly, Definitely and Completely Forgotten.'_

***

**A/N: Thank you for reading!! It's the epilogue next. Hoped you enjoyed this. I know that Sasuke was a bit OOC but I really couldn't care less right now XD After so many chapters of him being a emotionally constipated douche, it was _time _for a mushy moment. And YES the ending may have been sappy, but I'm a sucker for sap moments so...You'll just have to live with it XD ^_^;; **

**Please review ^^ And thank you so much for reading! I'm sorry it was a couple days late but I explained on my profile so...yeah :) THANK YOU! The epi is coming soon. It'll be short (about as long as the Prologue so it won't be much.) and sweet. I LOVE YOU GUYS ^____^ **


	14. Epilogue

**A/N : THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO READ ^___^ SPECIAL THANK YOU'S TO: Black Kunai, Shkh4ever, HappinessIsSomething, Otakugal, NekoDoodle, Crescent-Vampiress, pink-strawberries, ICantRemberSodAll, the blanket, .Angel, Jacqulin, MiMiSora4EVR23, Heartbroken Confession, Livvy22, Shubhs, PC Princess Jad3, alayneni, MyinnerNINJA, Jupiter Pickels, SasuSaku Forever and Ever, shirayuki223, Cerma-chan, sharingan dream, Youko-Kuramas-Kitsune, Redenzione, siX-feet. , les-liaisons-dangereuses, xXKiri-chanXx, CrAzYaNiMeFrEaKgUrL, freak-4-God, Saffrie, lizzpercush, Chantrea Moonbeam, lil' Miss B, copperwind, sonia, Pandastacia, XxXKiyuuXxX, Christina, Ayure, pirateKitten11893, minniemousemom, TigerLilyette, muddyapplz, smos, HinaStar-The007, NekoAngel101, kissysakura, alanacrystal, LittleGreenWolf, Mashed Potato Queen, teqila shots, nickstorm, MelissaMichelle87, BellaPerea, sleepy, s, Mel, , Mai Sode no Shirayuki, winter's darkmoon, Bitch-with-Wit, asukasoad, kagomes heart, Jenazia, fanpire329, Mistyfire's Code is Secure, Berries-R-Blue, Matsuo Emi, Blue-Moon-Nights, burningflower, Ms. cinnamon, Rina Serubeyoru, Momiji Haruka, anxioustoread94, tallgirl20, hi, michico1243, BrokenSoul13, DivineSunSHiNE, queenofdarkness212, Snazzy Elle, PhantomSoul103, EndOfAllSanity, QuicksilverWitch, Shrix, LadyCarlie, Baiorin, Pink Kunai, abc123, leahuk, Broken-Bond, .O, qawashere, SakuFlame, darkreverie13, puggaddong, Mistyjet, Artic Ice, Eunjuice, xoxoklim, Rei Rae-chan, harryXmione12, MyUsedRomance, TheUn-POP-ableBubble, jess, kon_chibi, goonielove, .Imagination, cutecookiechick, x ir0ck, icinnamonx3, UchihaZeido5, kerapal bubbles, KittyKatKrack, Icecream Skittles Addict, **

**Phew *wipes sweat* Thanks to everybody who reviewed! You guys were all really supportive and friendly so I definitely thought you should be somewhere in here ^_^ If I missed anyone or miss spelled anything (No copy and pasting for this girl!) PM me and I'll fix it. Sorry for any errors in the actual text. I'm planning on going back and editting all the chapters for mistake once this is over :D **

**HOPE YOU ENJOY IT (...and go easy on me k? I've never written an epilogue before #_# )**

_Disclaimer: I don't own the Naruto characters! (But I wouldn't mind owning Naruto's body. *wiggles eyebrows*) _

The Road To Recovery

~ Epilogue ~

Sakura rested her head in the palm of her hand as she worked silently on her paperwork. It was severely mundane work, but it needed to be done. She shook her head as her thoughts began to wander to places that hurt to visit.

It was already April. The cherry haired woman closed her eyes bitterly and put a hand to her forehead. A familiar tug pulled in her throat as she thought of Sasuke. A mixture of feelings swelled up in her and made her want to cry out. She felt anguish, for it had been so long since she had seen his face or heard his stupid grunts. She laughed when she considered following Neji around, simply to hear the classic "Hn" and feel a little less lonely.

She also felt a deep set worry. He never sent word back, and Sakura, though she almost always knew the answer would be no, had brought it up to her mentor and the Hokage. It started off casual. She'd walk in and subtly ask if Sasuke's team had been in touch recently. Gradually, however, as time passed it became a constant question and then a plea. It had gotten to the point where Sakura would just look at the Hokage for reassurance and would find none. It was terrible, knowing he was out there but not knowing if he was okay.

And then there was that buzzing, anxious excitement in the pit of her stomach. She'd been waiting and something told her that soon, he'd be back. The Uchiha she'd grown to know wasn't normally one to take his time. He had left at the beginning of September, when the leaves were just starting to change their colours and the air had just become crisp. By now it was the 28th of April. Eight months had already passed. He hadn't been there for their Winter festival and he missed Hanami which was a particularily special time for Sakura considering her name sake.

God she wanted him home.

And of course, there was her temper. The undeniable anger swelling in her chest. It was so unfair that the moment he was her's, he was forced away from her for almost a _year_. Someone up there was fascinated with playing sick jokes on her. Although, besides the constant void in her life, the past few months had been relatively average. Nothing out of the ordinary had taken place and it made Sakura a tad bit nostalgic for the hectic and insane life her trusted list had created for her.

Sakura winced when she realized that she'd gotten lost in her mind again. The paperwork was piling up and she really needed to get it done or else she'd no doubt be trying to catch up far into the night. She finally resigned and willed herself to forget about her horrid love life situation.

She almost missed being technically "single". Because she had forgotten how much it hurt to miss someone. Then she began to wonder if she could really be considered as "taken."

_'In reality, we only kissed a couple times before he left and we haven't seen each other since...Is that the same as being single...? When you still spend your nights alone? When you still don't have someone to share everything with...? Do I really...belong to him?'_

Sakura groaned and allowed her head to fall onto the desk with a loud thunk. Thinking so much while trying to focus on two different things was quite difficult and she was beginning to give herself a headache.

Officially her most unproductive work day in a while. After trying to force herself to sign a few forms, Sakura gave up and decided to take an early break and walk around the hospital garden. A few minutes of clear air would give her enough time to comtemplate the whole Sasuke-issue so that by the time she was finished, she would be able to concentrate.

Sakura pushed away from her desk and meandered into the hallway, heading for the elevator.

"Sakura!" came a familiar voice from down the hallway. "S-Sakura!" Sakura turned around curiously.

"Shizune-san? What is it...? Is there something wrong?" The pink haired girl stared at her in concern.

"Um-No not exact- Well...it's Lady Tsunade. She found the sake and now she's- well you understand how she gets." Sakura rolled her eyes and nodded. She knew all too well. Often she felt a bit sorry for Shizune, considering she was usually the one to deal with the aftermath. Even now, her tone was dripping with exasperation.

"So I was just wondering if you could take some of my patients. I wouldn't normally ask but I just _can't_ take them today. I just can't do it."

Sakura thought about it for a split second. Though her garden run would be postponed, she could still take her mind off the Uchiha. Focusing on something else like other people in need of help would definitely allow her to drift away from her problems.

"Of course. I really don't mind." She said with a smile

"Thank you! I can't stand it when she does this to me." Shizune said ruefully. "If you want I'll help you out with some paper work, in case this puts you behind. But I've got to run! The folders are at the front desk so just ask the receptionist. Lord knows what she's been doing or getting herself into while I've been here. Thanks again!" She called over her shoulder as she began to quickly shuffle away. The woman was left standing there amused. It really wasn't like Shizune to be so curt, but she could just imagine the trouble the Godaime had gotten into.

Sakura sighed and breifly remembered that she had just agreed to take on a batch of patients and it was better if she didn't leave them waiting. She tucked her hands into the pockets of her lab and made her way to the desk near the front of the floor, near the elevators.

She thanked the receptionist kindly for giving the files to her and checked her watch_, _realizing that she was due in the first patient's ward in a few minutes. Nodding a final time at the girl at the desk, Sakura walked distractedly towards the first examination room. Sakura paused for a moment, and drew in a sharp breath, her eye widening.

She could have sworn she'd felt a very familiar aura for the smallest of seconds. She reached out her hand and paused before she opened the door. An extremely foreboding feel crept into her heart.

_'What if he's actually...?' _She thought as she slowly wrapped her fingers around the door handle. Excitement took a hold of her because she was almost postive that she'd felt the dark feeling that accompanied the Uchiha... Her heart was beating in her ears and she tried to hold back a smile. What if he was behind this very door? Finally, after so long, he was back from Amegakure.

_'Oh my God.'_

Exhaling, she turned the knobs and thrust the door open into the starkly white room.

And there he was...

Her seventy-four year old senile diabetic patient with a flare for groping and an unhealthy obsession with her breasts. He was back again for a check up and Sakura felt her face fall and she twitched, irritated and severely disappointed. A sigh escaped her lips before she could help it. Definitely not the man she was expecting.

She was going insane.

"Mr. Takahashi. Hi." She drawled out with false cheer, a large fake smile plastered to her features.

The woman could have sworn that something achingly familiar had echoed through the hospital. She just wasn't expecting the achingly familiar aura to be this man's. Wishful thinking had erased all common sense. Sakura groaned inspite of herself. How cruel. The man had been her patient before, until she'd demanded that he be transfered due to the inhumain sexual harassement she endured everytime he came by.

Once again, she cursed the person in the sky that continued the barrage of twisted pranks on her.

The cherry blossom woman was forced to suffer through a twenty minute check up of the old timer, pushing aside his flabby and wrinkled skin to examine all the normal body parts. All the while gently prying his hands from her backside and her chest as he copped _several _feels.

It was like being raped by her grandfather. She gasped in a deep breath the moment his examination was over and burst into the hallway, feeling the creepy crawlies all over her body. She could still feel the ghost of his bony hands clasping her chest.

Gagging she moved onto the next patients, all thoughts of Sasuke's return jammed out of her mind by sheer revulsion. An hour and twenty minutes later, Sakura had already successfully healed a teary girls broken arm and prescribed a young boy an inhaler for his asthma attacks. Her last patient was an injured chuunin with a deep and painful kunai wound in his right shoulder and a large gash on his shin.

By the end of it all, she was drained but satisfied. The medic only had one more patient left to treat. She entered the room and quickly turned around to examine the file behind the door on a cliboard.

"Hello sir, could you please tell me your name and reason for your visit?" She asked politely. The woman was busy at the counter washing her hands. When she received no answer she growled, her temper flaring.

"Okay, not meaning to be rude but I've just had a really long, disappointing day and I'd really appreciate some cooperation. Some effort on your part would make the Chakra drain and the severe groping I've just endured slightly more bearable-" Sakura muttered, more to herself than the patient before wheeling around, impatient.

Sakura's files slipped to the floor and the board they were attached to clattered loudly.

"Oh my God." She gasped. Tears were beginning to appear behind her eyes. She choked back a happy sob and felt her hand fly to her mouth to muffle her cries, tightly closing her eyes.

He was finally home.

"Sasuke." She breathed out. Sasuke, who'd been lying motionless on the bed sprung up immediately at the sight of her and launched towards her small form. Together they managed to land themselves in a highly awkward embrace.

Sakura had moved forwards lighting fast to pounce on him on the bed while the man in front of her had flown up and was about to push her up against the wall and ravish her. Instead they collided in the middle and ended up entangled together in the center of the room.

But they didn't really care. Sakura buried her face into his chest and cried there for a moment, laughing simultaneously. Sasuke tightly held her body to him and basked in the feeling. He could hear her muffled babblings in his chest but he couldn't focus on anything but the reality surrounding him. Home at last.

The last words he heard her choke out were "God I missed you" before he tilted her head up and slammed his lips to hers. He wouldn't say it, but he had missed her too. His hands made their way upwards to her head and he cradled her head and pressed it even closer to his, seeking more contact. Her soft hair twirled around his fingers and their kiss deepened. It had been way, _way_ too long since they'd seen each other. Sakura moaned lightly and coiled her arms around his back and hugged him. She'd been slightly worried how they would be when they were reunited...About whether or not their last meeting would make this day awkward or uncomfortable. But as they broke their kiss and Sakura looked directly into his dark eyes, she shivered and smiled brilliantly as she regained her breath. Nothing had changed. Her feelings were completely the same as the day she'd run after him.

"I'm _so_ happy you're back." She mumbled as he pushed her backwards and joined their lips once again. Sakura felt her back hit the door of the examination room and she smiled as she brought her hand up to his hair and ran her fingers through it. Sasuke pulled his hand away from it's place at her waist and flipped the lock on the door before returning it.

He didn't want anything spoiling this.

Sakura laughed and Sasuke took it as an oppurtunity to bury his head in the crook of her neck and breathe in everything about her. The woman closed her eyes and leaned her head on his and did the same with him. And in that moment, when they just held each other, every single one of Sakura's doubts about their relationship dissolved.

She was most _definitely _taken. Because whether she liked it or not, she undeniably belonged to this man.

Suddenly Sasuke head jerked upwards as though he had just remembered something. He glared at her and searched her eyes.

"What did you say about a groping...?" He hissed through his teeth. Sakura's face light up and she began to giggle uncontrollably. Sasuke's glare intensified, as did the grip he had on her waist. Sakura just shook her head and pressed her lips to his in a soft and gentle kiss. He was _back_.

_Finally. _

***

~Two Years And Sixty Four Days Later~

"Those jerky little fangirls- Argh!" Sakura stormed into the large Uchiha home and tossed her things in a heap on the floor. She slammed the door behind her and the force of it made it bounce back open. Sakura muttered a few curses before returned and jamming it back shut. She stomped into the living room and plopped on the end of the couch, mumbling darkly to herself.

On the other end of the couch sat a dark haired Anbu who was concentrating hard on a scroll in front of him, he didn't even accknowledge the clearly murderous Kunoichi beside him.

Sakura huffed and sprung back off the couch and tromped up the steps loudly, making it difficult for the man to ignore her. He sighed and rolled his eyes. Sakura returned a moment later carrying a notebook and a pen. As she walked around the back of the couch, she smacked the man in the back of the head with the thin pad of paper with mutterings of "It's all your fault, stupid Uchiha."

She reclaimed her previous place at the couch and began writing furiously.

Sasuke sighed and turned to look at her with a dull expression.

"Sakura."

"Sasuke." She grumbled as she continued to write.

"What's wrong." He ordered. He wasn't particularily concerned with his girlfriend's antics. Everyone knew she could get angry easily.

"Nothing." She said distractedly as her pencil moved frantically across the page.

"Sakura."

She heaved a large sigh and threw her project onto the table in front of them. "You're stupid fangirls. God I'm so sick of being harrassed Sasuke!" She threw up her hands in the air to emphasize her point.

He growled and turned back to his scroll. "Che. You don't think I know that?" He said bitterly. It had been years and year that he'd had to put up with the leagues of annoying women flocking after him.

"I could just-" She screwed up her hand into a tight fist and let out a frustrated yell.

"I swear there are only three ways to get rid of them for good." She said as she flopped from her sitting postion into a laying one, with her legs hanging over the side of the furniture.

"And?" He gave her an expectant glance from the corner of his eye. She smirked when she saw his quirked eyebrow. She was probably bothering him, but she was too angry to consider that right now.

"Well..." She said innocently as she held up three fingers. "The first way would be to give them exactly what they want. We could end this and then they would stop pestering me as long as I agreed to never see you again." She said seriously.

Sasuke wasn't impressed with this idea. "Not likely, Sakura." He said.

She furrowed her eyebrows angerly and sat up, turning her torso to look at him dead on. "Not likely? But it's still a possiblity?!" Sasuke lazily turned to meet her gaze. Suddenly, memories of her going out with Kiba and flirting with other guys flashed into his mind. He scowled and grabbed her chin and brought her face to his, giving her a fierce kiss.

"No." He growled as he turned back to his scroll and began to read again.

Sakura could feel a slight smile light her features at the fact that he was so possesive of her. Then she turned back around and settled back into her comfy postion once again. She suddenly remembered her train of thought.

"Well then that leaves only two options." She said matter of factly. "Honestly, the only way they are going to give up is if we get married and make it official, or I make another list and follow it step by step until they don't have the energy to fight for you anymore." Sakura spoke as though she were joking. She had added the marriage bit in there just to make him squirm.

Sasuke smirked as he stared at the scroll that he was pretending to examine. "Only one way to find out." He said without any expression. Sakura looked upwards and studied his face before a bright smile light her features.

"So you approve of the whole list thing! Perfect." Sakura sat back up and tore the abandoned paper that was lying on the table off the pad . She grabbed the paper and began to write again. Sasuke whirled his head around and if he'd been anyone but the Uchiha his eyes would have expanded widely.

Not again.

He lunged towards her and pinned her to the couch and glared at her. Sakura opened her mouth to ask him what he was doing, but he smashed his lips down onto hers once more and pried her lips open with his tongue. Several seconds later, as their mouths reattached themselves again, he grabbed the list from her figners and crumpled it into a tiny sphere. He pulled away and chucked it across the room. Before chastely pecking her lips again and mutteing ruefully against her lips between kisses.

"No...More...Lists...Sakura."

Sakura began to laugh and spared a glance at the picture frame on their wall, containing a worn, crinkled, yet very special piece of paper. She could no longer contain her giggles and she buried her face into his neck, laughed. Sasuke himself allowed a small chuckle to escape his lips. One of very few that he let slip past his stoic exterior.

Together, the couple just lay there contentedly, enjoying the moment when Sakura spoke up.

"But um...Sasuke?" The man looked up from his postion in the crook of her neck and looked at her. The woman giggled nervously and pecked his lips sweetly.

"About the whole...list thing.." He narrowed his eyes and emitted a low growl in the back of his throat.

Sakura pulled him into a loving kiss before mumbling against his lips and laughing at his expression.

"I may or may_ not _have....already...started another."

_Oh sweet God. Not. Again. _

**~The~**

"Ne? Sasuke?!"

_A grunt_

"Y-you said that the list thing was out, so that- that only leaves one...-"

_A glimpse from the corner of the eye_

"Y-you're not-Does th-this mean that- y-you're...You know?"

_A smirk._

"Oh God you are! Oh my-!!"

_A kiss._

~**End~**

**A/N: Hahahaha okay well I'm in a good mood. Because this story is officially over!!! ^_^ The epilogue was pretty short amd really different from the rest of the story, I'll admit, but it was kind of supposed to mirror the prologue. Plus there was no list for guidance XD XD **

**I hope you like it, but after so many months, no offense or anything...but I like it so whether or not you're happy with it, I am :D I'm just glad it's done! :D :D :D WOOT!!!! I FINISHED IT! Now the ending is pretty open cause I'm CONSIDERING a possible sequel. Who knows? *shrugs* Let me know if you'd like to read another story or if you'd rather read a completely new concept!! PLEASE REVIEW! I'd love to hear from you guys! **

**AAAAAAAND last and least (didn't think it was possible for that to happen till now XD ). I'm going to be taking a break from writing for a while. My sister just had her baby this morning (IT'S A GIRL :D ) and I've got some other stuff happening in my life right now. SO I'm kind of on a mini hiatus I guess. But I'll be back**

**SO THANK YOU FOR READING :D :D :D *hugs ***


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